


Aftermath

by SkyShadow22



Series: Sunshine for Everyone [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Post-Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-07-26 15:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7580068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyShadow22/pseuds/SkyShadow22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Max and Chloe deal with life after the storm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Day

Chloe felt something move against her and woke up. She groggily looked at the sun streaking on the high stone ceiling above her and heard the ocean outside. She also realized her back really fucking hurt. She started to move and felt a weight on her, looking down to see Max sleeping on her chest. Chloe's heart jumped and she started to smile before she remembered what had happened yesterday. She remembered that they had slept in the lighthouse. She remembered huddling together with Max for warmth as they listened to the raging storm. She remembered watching Arcadia Bay disappear beneath an enormous tornado. 

Chloe laid back down on the uncomfortable stone floor. It was still cold against her bare back and she shivered. She was suddenly aware that she and Max were in their underwear, having taken their clothes off to dry on the rail of the stairwell inside of the lighthouse. Chloe wasn't thrilled at the idea that Max's first waking sight would be her boobs, so she carefully moved Max so she could get up. Max somehow stayed asleep despite being placed on the cold, hard floor and Chloe retrieved her pants from the railing. 

Their clothes were still uncomfortably damp, but they were bearable. Chloe pulled her shirt on and grabbed Max's jeans and shirt. She knelt down and gently shook Max's arm. "Max? Hey, wake up." 

Max stirred and groaned slightly. She opened her eyes and looked up at Chloe. "Chloe...?" she said sleepily. 

Chloe held out Max's clothes. "C'mon, get dressed." 

Max slowly sat up and took her clothes. She pulled her shirt on and sat there, looking around half dazed. "Where are we?" Max had never been a morning person. 

"We're in the lighthouse," Chloe said quietly. "We stayed here to get out of the storm." 

That last word seemed to wake Max up. She got up and put on her jeans, then quickly walked outside with Chloe following. Chloe squinted from the bright sun as she stepped outside. Her bare feet squished on the soaked ground as she walked after Max, who stopped at the cliff that overlooked the ocean. Chloe thought of the hellish scene of the storm from yesterday and couldn't believe how calm the sky and sea were now. She came to stand next to Max and followed her gaze.

Chloe looked at what remained of Arcadia Bay. From this distance, she couldn't make out much, but there didn't seem to be much left standing. Some buildings were completely destroyed while others were just damaged. She saw cars that had gotten tossed around by wind and water. She didn't see a single telephone pole still standing. There was even a dead whale laying in the street. Everything was broken and mangled, chewed up by the storm and spat back out.

The two girls stood there looking at the destruction until Max turned and moved to sit on the bench. She sat back and looked at the ocean. Chloe sat down next to her and stared at Max's face, trying to read what she was thinking. Eventually Max reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Chloe realized she had left hers in the truck, which was parked at the bottom of the hill that led to the cliff. "I'm gonna go get my phone out of the truck," Chloe said. Max nodded as she fidgeted with her cell. Chloe went back in the lighthouse to put on her shoes before trekking down the hill. They were still very wet and squelched as she jogged to the truck. 

Chloe came back quickly. She had grabbed Max's bag as well and set it down on the bench next to Max, who was on the phone. "I'm so glad to hear that, Kate," she said. 

"Kate!? She's okay?" Chloe exclaimed. 

Max nodded. "Yeah, she texted me this morning. Her parents took her home yesterday." She paused, listening to something Chloe couldn't hear. "Chloe's here, too," she said. 

Chloe took her own phone out and started walking around to get reception. It must have lost the signal yesterday, because she just had two messages from her mother from the previous evening. She hoped that was the case, anyway. As she walked around with the phone raised up, she pushed away the thought that those were the only messages she would have. She finally got a signal and stood still, waiting. 

After a few seconds, the phone began to vibrate so much that Chloe almost lost her grip on it. She watched the notifications stack up, one after another, all of them from her mother throughout the night and morning. Tears started forming in her eyes and she sank to the ground. 

She heard Max say "Hey, Kate, I'll call you later, okay?" before coming over to where Chloe was sitting. "Hey, are you okay?" Max asked. 

Chloe sniffed and nodded. "Yeah, it's just." She took a deep breath to stop her voice from choking. "My mom's been blowing up my phone," she said with a slight laugh.  
Chloe saw relief wash over Max's face and she knelt down to hug Chloe. 

"Thank God," Max murmured. 

Chloe's phone finally stopped, the final count on it reading 27 texts, 38 missed calls, and 12 voicemails. She cleared them without checking and called her mother. It only rang twice before she heard it pick up. "Chloe?" Her mother's voice sounded frantic. 

"Mom," Chloe answered, fighting to keep her voice controlled. 

She heard Joyce start to cry. "You're alive," she sobbed. "Oh thank God, you're alright." 

"I'm fine, mom. Max is here too." 

Her mother chuckled. "You two always were invincible when you were together." 

Chloe laughed too. "You just can't keep us down." She looked at Max sitting next to her and smiled. 

Max returned the grin and wiped at her eyes. "I'm gonna call my parents," she whispered. Chloe nodded. 

"Where are you?" Chloe's mother asked. 

"We made it to the lighthouse, away from the storm. We stayed there all night." 

Joyce gave a short, sad laugh. "If only everyone was as clever as you girls." 

"What about you? Where were you last night?" 

"The Two Whales. I dunno how, but that crummy old diner actually stayed standing." 

"What about...who was with you?" Chloe wanted to ask if David had made it, but was actually scared to find out. 

"There was an old fisherman named Joe, one of Max's classmates, a boy named Warren, and the drug...uh, Frank Bowers, the man who lives in the RV." Chloe was happy to hear that Frank was alright. As complicated as their past was, Rachel had loved him and Frank loved Rachel, so she was glad he made it through. 

"Max! Warren's okay!" she yelled over at Max, who had her phone to her ear. Max smiled and sighed happily. Chloe turned her attention back to her call. "Is...is David..." 

"David is safe, too," Joyce said happily. Chloe sighed with relief. "He was in some sort of bunker, apparently. He called me earlier and said he still had to help the police with some investigation they’ve been on since Thursday evening." Chloe realized that he must have been in Jefferson's bunker when the storm hit. 

Chloe held the phone away from her and whispered just loud enough for Max to hear. "David was safe in the Dark Room." Max nodded as she continued trying to get a hold of her parents. 

Joyce was talking when Chloe put the phone back to her ear. "...are all congregating at the Blackwell football field. They have rescue workers out here already who've been handing out supplies." 

Chloe heard Max say "Mom?" and she started explaining what had happened. Chloe guessed that it was still too early for this to be all over the news. "Chloe's here with me. Her mom and stepdad are okay, too." 

\ 

They gathered all of their belongings and began the drive to the Blackwell football field, where all the survivors were gathering. Chloe tried to keep her eyes forward and not look too closely at the obliterated town. She hoped that Max wasn't looking too closely either. They had to take several detours because of debris blocking roads and saw some emergency vehicles on their way. They were stopped a couple times by police, who made sure they weren't just here to gawk and ultimately helped direct them around the wreckage and towards the football field. 

The parking lot was mostly empty. There were a few civilian vehicles but the ambulances and Red Cross vans outnumbered them. Chloe parked and she and Max entered the small stadium. There were people scattered throughout the bleachers and on the field, but they were all generally grouped together. The Red Cross workers were buzzing around, checking on everyone. A lot of the citizens had blankets wrapped around them and some form of food or drink in their hands.

As the two girls walked towards everyone else, one of the helpers noticed them and came over. “Hi, how are you two?” she said in a gentle voice. “Do you need anything?”

“Um,” Chloe was glancing around at the survivors. “I’m looking for my mother. Uh, Joyce P- uh, Madsen?”

The woman nodded and said to follow her. They walked closer to the crowd and she raised her voice just enough to be heard. “Joyce? Joyce Madsen?”

After a moment, the crowd parted slightly and Chloe’s mother emerged. “Chloe!” she yelled and ran forward, the blanket that had been on her shoulders flying off. Chloe jogged towards her and they met with the strongest hug Chloe had ever given her mother. “Oh, my angel. I thought I’d never see you again.” Her mother started to cry again.

Chloe sniffed hard as she fought back sobs. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She tried to laugh as she spoke but choked instead.

The two of them stood there quietly for a moment, neither one ready to let go. The responder had walked away to help other people. Chloe was the first to loosen her grip and her mother followed suit after an instant of hesitation. Joyce looked around her daughter. “Max Caulfield, you get over here.” Chloe saw that Max had started to cry too, but she smiled and jogged over to embrace Joyce. “I’m just so thankful my girls are okay,” Chloe’s mother muttered.

“So is David here, too?” Max asked as she and Joyce parted.

“He was earlier. He came to check on me, but the police wanted him back to help with something.” Chloe and Max glanced at each other briefly, which caught Joyce’s attention. She squinted at them. “Do you two know what’s going on with that?”

The girls looked at each other again and had a silent conversation. Chloe looked back at her mother. “I think David will be able to explain it better.”

Joyce looked back and forth at both of them for a few seconds before rolling her eyes. “I learned a long time ago not to even bother prying if you two had a secret.”

Max jumped a bit as her phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the screen before answering. “Hey mom. Yeah, we’re with her now.” Joyce looked at Chloe, who shrugged. “Yeah, one sec,” Max said, slightly confused. She pulled the phone away from her ear and put it on speaker. “Okay, mom.”

“Joyce?”

“Hi, Vanessa. Been a while,” Chloe’s mom responded.

Max’s mother sighed. “Sorry about that. I wish I was calling under better circumstances. Are you alright?”

“The three most important people in my world are safe, so I can’t complain.” She glanced up at Max and Chloe with a warm smile. “I don’t know what I woulda done if either of these girls were hurt.”

“I can’t tell you how much Ryan and I appreciate you looking after Max. Your house was always a second home for her.”

“Well she was always like my second daughter.” Chloe saw Max smiling and rubbed her shoulder affectionately.

“That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you, Joyce. Do you know yet what condition your house is in?”

Chloe hadn’t even thought about the house yet. Her mom sighed. “David checked on it. It’s not in good shape.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Joyce. You too, Chloe. It can’t be easy to lose a home.”

Chloe met eyes with her mother, who gave her a small smile. “Like I said, everything important to me is fine.”

Chloe returned the smile and felt tears start to well up again, blinking hard to keep them back. “Yeah, what she said.”

Vanessa gave a short laugh. “I’m glad you two are so strong. Well, that still means you, David, and Chloe don’t have a place to stay. And I already talked to Ryan about you three coming to stay with us until things settle down.”

Joyce looked surprised. “Vanessa, that is so kind of you. Thank you.” She paused, thinking. “But, we couldn’t impose on you and Ryan like that.”

“Joyce, really, it’s no problem. We have a spare bedroom, the girls can share Max’s room. Just at least until all the insurance and whatnot is figured out.”

Joyce bit her lip and put her hands on her hips as she thought. Chloe looked to Max, who smiled at her. “We can be roomies.” Chloe couldn’t help but smile and leaned over to give her best friend a quick side hug. 

“Please, Joyce. Let us help,” Max’s mother said after several seconds of silence.

Chloe’s mother looked up from the ground and at Chloe. She stared at her for a couple seconds. “I can’t accept your offer to have me and David stay with you.”

“Joyce-”

“But. I would be forever grateful if you could take Chloe in for a while.” 

Chloe was a bit surprised. “Mom, are you sure?”

“Really, Joyce, you and David-”

“David and I can stay with his parents for a little while. They’re retired and I doubt we’d intrude on their lives too much. But you and Ryan both work and already have Max to support. David and I will, of course, give you money for Chloe’s expenses.”

“Oh, that’s not a problem, we don’t mind-”

“Now Vanessa, you know me. I provide for my family,” Joyce said sternly.

Max’s mom was quiet for a second before she sighed. “Right. But please, get back on your feet first. You can pay us back later.”

“Fine,” Chloe’s mother said hesitantly. “But that’s as generous as I’ll allow you to be.”

Vanessa laughed. “Alright, I won’t twist your arm anymore.”

Joyce smiled. “And thank you again, Vanessa. You’re an angel.”

“No problem at all. Family sticks together. Go ahead and take me off speaker, Max.” Max did so and put the phone back to her ear, turning away to talk to her mom on her own.

“So why not take me with you and David?” Chloe asked her mother once it was just the two of them.

Joyce raised her eyebrows at her daughter. “I would not subject David’s parents to that sort of torture.” Chloe scowled slightly, which Joyce chuckled at. “You’ll be much happier staying with the Caulfields than you would be with us. It’s going to be a stressful time for everyone to say the least, and the last thing I’d want is for you to be in the thick of it with me and David.” She glanced over Chloe’s shoulder. “Or for you and her to be torn apart again.”

Chloe looked behind her at Max, who was pacing slowly as she talked on the phone. She caught Chloe’s eye and smiled at her. Chloe returned the smile before turning back to her mother. “Thanks, mom.”

Her mother smiled and hugged her, holding on for a moment to rub Chloe’s back gently. She let Chloe go, but kept a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll drive up there after the house has been sorted through and drop off anything that you might need that survived.” Chloe nodded. “Whenever David gets back, we’ll give you whatever cash we have.”

“Mom, you don’t-”

“Shut up. You use it for gas and food on the way to Seattle. Get a change of clothes for both of you, too. Give the rest to Max’s parents. Understand?”

Chloe couldn’t help but smile. Despite everything, Joyce had still gone into mom mode. “Yes, mom.”

\

Joyce called David after that, letting him know that the girls had met up with her. He said he’d be there shortly. As they waited, Chloe looked around at the other people gathered. She didn’t see many faces that she recognized. Frank wasn’t there. She didn’t see any of the Blackwell students she knew. Max had asked about Warren and Joyce said that he and his mother had left town earlier that morning.

Some of the survivors were doing well, like them. Others were practically comatose, staring blankly and barely moving. There were a lot of people crying, presumably over lost loved ones. Chloe looked them over sadly and eventually turned her attention to Max sitting next to her. She was looking at the survivors too, but her eyes just stared at them with a dead gaze. Chloe had never seen an expression like that on Max. She realized then that it was possible that Max blamed herself for this. A chill ran throughout Chloe’s body at that thought and she reached out to put her hand on Max’s shoulder. “Max,” she said quietly.

“Chloe!” Before she could say anything, Chloe heard a yell and turned to see David jogging over. She and Max stood up and he hugged them both tightly.

Chloe was surprised at the sudden show of affection. “C’mon, David. I know you’d be bored without me, but-”

He sniffed hard and Chloe realized he was crying. “I’m so sorry,” he said. His grip on the girls tightened a bit.

Chloe looked past David’s head at Max, who also seemed confused. Chloe put her hand on his back. “It’s okay. I know I was a pain in your ass and you were just trying to keep me in line.”

David finally let them go and took a step back. He wiped at his face with his hand. “Not that,” he said as he tried to regain composure. He looked at Chloe with the saddest expression she’d ever seen him wear. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help Rachel.” David choked on her name and started to cry again.

Chloe understood then. David had been in the Dark Room. He had found the pictures. The police must have found the body by now. And David must be blaming himself for not catching Jefferson and Nathan sooner. Chloe felt a sharp pain in her heart as she thought about Rachel. She stepped forward and hugged David. He returned it and started quietly sobbing on her shoulder. Chloe started crying too. “It’s not your fault,” she assured him. “It’s not your fault...”

“Wait, what happened to Rachel?” Joyce’s voice came from behind her.

David stood up and took a deep breath, taking a few seconds to put on a strong face before facing his wife. “I’ll tell you everything, but let’s get the girls on their way first.” Joyce shut her eyes tightly, obviously realizing that Rachel was gone. David looked at Chloe. “Is your truck still running?” Chloe nodded in response as her mind wandered to Rachel. She had gone through waves of grief since they had found the body but had forced herself to get to a place of acceptance so she could focus on keeping herself and Max alive. But Chloe was sure that if she was left to herself, she’d break down again.

“Your cell phones both work?” David’s voice didn’t register with her at first, but she heard Max say ‘yeah’ and her attention returned to the present. She nodded in response. “Alright.” David pulled his wallet out and Joyce stepped up beside him, pulling out a wad of cash from her uniform. David took it and the cash from his wallet and counted. As he did, Chloe looked over at Max, who seemed to be spacing out as well. Chloe pushed Rachel to the back of her mind to deal with later, determined to make sure Max was okay before worrying about herself. She turned back to David as he held out the money. “Here’s 340 dollars.”

Chloe hesitated but saw her mother raise an eyebrow at her. She took the money and shoved it in her pocket. “Thank you.” She threw her arms around her mother and David, who hugged her back.

“Max, get in here,” Joyce said.

Chloe raised her arm to let Max slip in beside her. The four of them stayed in the group hug for several seconds before they parted. “Drive carefully,” David said. “It’s not terribly far, but take breaks. If it’s getting late, find a hotel and call me and I’ll give them my credit card number.”

“Right,” Chloe replied.

“And you be on your best behavior for Vanessa and Ryan, you hear me?” Joyce warned. “Max, keep her in line.”

Max laughed. “I will.”

“Please call us if you need anything,” Joyce said. Chloe nodded. Tears started to pool in her mother’s eyes. “We love you girls so much.” David nodded beside her, his face tight as he tried not to cry again.

“I love you too, mom. You too, David.” That seemed to break David, as tears started streaming down his face.

“Thank you both for everything,” Max said.

They all stood there quietly for a moment. Chloe knew it might be a while before she saw her mother and David again. After so many years of wanting to get away from them, now that she was faced with doing so, she was hesitating. A hand came to rest on Chloe’s arm and she looked at Max beside her, who seemed to understand. Chloe smiled and put her arm around Max’s shoulders.

“We’ll see you both soon,” Chloe told her parents. She and Max turned to walk away and waved to them as they left.

\

Chloe drove through the streets of Arcadia Bay carefully but as quickly as she could, trying to get away from the destruction so that Max wouldn’t think about it too much. She glanced over at Max, who was staring out the passenger window, still and quiet. Chloe felt like she could read Max’s expression without seeing her face. She slowed the truck until they were stopped, taking a moment to check on Max.

Chloe reached out to put her hand on Max’s shoulder. She felt her immediately respond to her touch. Max slowly turned and gave Chloe a small smile. Chloe wasn’t sure what to say, but just that seemed to breathe a bit of life into Max, as she shifted in her seat and sat up straight, looking forward. It was good enough for Chloe and she looked back at the road and kept driving. 

Chloe thought about her life in Arcadia Bay. The fun that she and Max had as kids, playing pirates and dreaming about the future. The pain of losing her dad, and then losing Max when she moved away. The shitshow that her life became after that. She thought about Rachel, but didn’t dwell there. Chloe thought about this past week with Max. About how she had wanted nothing more than to get the fuck out of Arcadia Bay for years, and now all she cared about was never letting go of Max again.

Chloe saw the sign that meant they had reached the city’s limits. She felt a small pain in her heart as she drove past it. She took a deep breath. Chloe knew that she’d be alright as long as Max was around. Like her mother said, they were invincible when they were together. All Chloe had to do now was be there for her.


	2. Pit Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe stop for a bite.

The midday sun streaked between the trees, the light flickering into the cabin of the truck. Chloe had been driving for almost two hours, about a third of their journey to Seattle. Max had fallen asleep some time ago and had her head resting against the window. Chloe had turned the radio off once her usual station turned to static, leaving them in silence. They had barely spoken since leaving Arcadia Bay and Chloe didn’t feel like putting in one of her CDs. The silent drive on the open highway gave her time to think and collect her thoughts.

Chloe had been going over the past week in her head, trying to process the fact that all this had happened in six days. She almost died in the school bathroom. Her best friend came back with superpowers, which she apparently used to prevent said lavatory demise. Chloe looked at Max, whose gentle breathing was creating a small spot of fog on the window. She couldn’t imagine how she must feel, watching somebody die. Watching her friend die, multiple times in a week. Then practically bringing Chloe back from the dead each time.

Chloe shivered at the thought, trying to push it out of her head. Time travel bullshit was too much for her outside of comic books. She went back to thinking about the previous few days. Her mind went back to the pool, and the next morning. The way she felt when she looked at Max those times, how her heart fluttered. And how Max had actually kissed her. Chloe felt her chest tighten and a wave of heat in her face. She already knew she leaned more towards girls. She had been in love with Rachel, after all.

The thought of Rachel made her chest tighten again and she gripped the steering wheel hard. She closed her eyes for a brief second. “This isn’t the time,” she thought. Chloe had cried all Thursday night while she and Max hid out at her house. She got out most of her grieving then and was determined to push the rest back until she and Max were safe and settled. She took a few deep breaths and backtracked her thought process.

What was Max to her now? She was still Chloe’s best friend, but Chloe was sure that she had felt something more from Max. She wondered how strongly she had come off herself. Chloe hadn’t really been conscious of it until now. The pool and the morning after had felt...different. It didn’t feel like just floating in the pool with Max, like when they were kids. It was...almost magical.

Chloe made a face at that thought. It sounded so fucking cheesy. She looked at Max again. She stared at the incredible, beautiful nerd that was asleep in her truck and imagined what it would be like if they started dating. As Chloe watched her, Max started to twitch and furrow her brow. She began to breathe faster and looked like she was almost shivering. Chloe realized she was having a nightmare and shook her shoulder gently.

“Max,” she said. Max woke up with a start and stared at her with a scared expression. “Hey, you okay?”

Max slowly looked around the truck, then down at her hands. “Yeah,” she said hoarsely. “Just a bad dream.” She leaned back against the window and stared out at the passing scenery.

Chloe suddenly felt guilty. Max had been through hell this past week and Chloe was thinking about romance. “I’ll find a place to stop for a bit. We can stretch and find something to eat.” Max just nodded in response.

Chloe looked ahead at the road. “Not the time,” she thought. Max came first. Once she made sure that Max was alright, then Chloe could deal with her own feelings.

\

A short time later, they entered a small town and stopped at a Denny’s. It wouldn’t have the same homemade feel of The Two Whales, but Chloe had developed a taste for diner food. She parked the truck and looked at Max, who hadn’t moved since she had woken up.

“C’mon, let’s get some grub,” Chloe said, hoping that she sounded cheery. Max’s only response was to open the door and get out. Chloe watched her walk into the restaurant without her. She sighed and pulled out the wad of money her parents had given her. She pulled two twenties out and shoved the rest in the pocket of her pants. One advantage of tight jeans was that no one could pickpocket her. 

Chloe entered the restaurant and saw Max sitting on a bench, waiting. “Did you already ask to be seated?” Chloe asked. Max nodded. Chloe looked around the diner, which was decently busy. She sat down next to Max to wait for the waitress to come back. “I haven’t been to a Denny’s in years. I’m spoiled from eating at The Two Whales.” Chloe looked at Max and felt her heart sink.

Max looked like she was trying to focus on something a mile away. Her eyes looked glazed over and her expression was almost lifeless. Chloe gently put her hand on Max’s shoulder. “Max,” she said quietly. Max didn’t respond, so Chloe shook her slightly. “Max,” she said a bit louder. Max’s whole body twitched and her eyes widened, looking panicked.

Max looked at Chloe and blinked. “Sorry, I was spacing out,” she muttered. She looked more alert now, but Chloe could feel her shaking a bit. “I think some coffee will help.”

Chloe kept her hand on Max’s shoulder and looked her face over as Max looked around the restaurant. Her eyes seemed to be darting around, not really focusing on anything. “Max, are you okay?”

Max looked back to her and took a second to focus on Chloe’s face. She smiled slightly. “I’m good!” Her reply seemed too chipper and Chloe continued to stare at her without responding. Max put her hand over Chloe’s hand on her shoulder. “Seriously, Chlo, I’m okay. Just need food and a bed.” Chloe kept her hand on Max for another second before slowly pulling it away. 

“Well we can fix the first part now. I’m fucking starving, too.” Chloe knew there was something up with Max, but she was present for now, so Chloe wasn’t going to press it yet. They sat in silence for a minute before the waitress came back and showed them to a booth.

The girls sat down across from each other and opened the menus placed in front of them. They looked over the food options in silence and Chloe would glance over her menu every few seconds to analyze Max’s face. She seemed to be fine for now. Her eyes moved slowly and steadily as she read and her expression remained neutral. Chloe stopped fretting and decided to actually pay attention to her own menu.

The waitress returned with coffee for both of them and took their order. Max ordered a stack of pancakes and Chloe went with the Grand Slam. She took the menus and left the girls to their coffee. Chloe added one portion of cream to her own drink as Max poured several packets of sugar into hers. Chloe smiled. “You’re gonna get a cavity if you add anymore.”

Max smirked at her. “Please. I live in a dorm room. My blood is Kool Aid by now.” Chloe chuckled and took a sip of her coffee. Max stirred her drink to dissolve the sugar. She was staring at it as she did. Her smile gradually faded. “Or...I was...”

Chloe felt a chill run through her body. “Well hey,” she said, quickly changing the subject. “You said your parents are both good cooks so at least you’ll be getting proper meals again soon.”

Max nodded slowly, still looking at her coffee. Chloe bit her lip, trying to think of what else to say. But Max laughed slightly and said “Though if my mom has her way, she’ll probably try to kill us with a cookie overdose.”

Chloe exhaled with relief and smiled. “My mom’s been trying to fatten me up for years. I can take whatever your mom can dish out.” They both smiled at each other and sipped their coffee.

A few minutes went by and Max excused herself to use the restroom. Chloe leaned against the wall, stretching her legs out on the seat. She looked around the diner, reading all the big signs advertising new items or special deals. She then started fiddling with the condiments, stacking the little jam packets. She did the same with the cream containers.

As she built her pyramid of preserves, Chloe tried to think of things to cheer up Max. “Maybe I can ask for the crayons and draw some weird shit,” she thought. “Like Hot Dog Man in a bikini.” She frowned at that thought. “Maybe some bad jokes.” Chloe ran out of building materials and started flipping through the dessert cards. “Does Max like any of my music? Maybe there’s a Wal-Mart in town where I can get some CDs. Or like, an action figure.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “She’s not a fucking kid, you idiot.”

She was reading about the double chocolate cake when their food came. Chloe thanked the waitress and started shoveling eggs and bacon into her mouth. As she chewed an entire mouthful of food she looked at Max’s tall stack of pancakes. Chloe suddenly realized that Max had been gone for quite a while. She finished chewing and got up to find the restroom.

Chloe reached the little alcove where the two bathroom doors were and found a middle aged woman standing outside of the women’s room, looking concerned. She was staring at the door but looked to Chloe when she got close. “Um,” the woman started. “I think there’s someone crying in there.”

Chloe’s body tensed up and she pushed past the woman to enter the restroom. As she did, she didn’t hear crying, but hysterical sobbing. Chloe followed the sound to the only closed stall. “Max!” she shouted. She slammed the door with her palm several times. “Max, it’s okay, I’m here. Let me in!” The sobbing continued and the door stayed shut. Chloe dropped to the floor and crawled under the door to find Max sitting on the toilet, hunched over and grabbing her face with both hands.

Chloe kneeled next to her and put her arms around her. Max recoiled and pulled away from her, yelping as she did. “She’s dead,” Max choked. “I couldn’t save her.” She trailed off into sobs. 

Chloe’s hands shook as she held them up uselessly. Max’s eyes were shut tight and tears were streaming down her face. Her sobbing was almost more of a wheeze, like she was trying to catch her breath. “Max, it’s Chloe. I’m right here.”

“Chloe’s dead...” Max whimpered. “Nathan killed her...I couldn’t stop him...my powers aren’t working...”

Chloe felt a stab in her heart. Something about the bathroom had triggered a flashback for Max, back to when she first saved Chloe. Chloe moved to kneel in front of Max, scared to touch her again. “Chloe’s alive. I’m right here, Max.” She tried to keep her voice low but firm.

Max seemed to finally hear her. She stopped sobbing and slowly looked up. Her eyes were frantic as she stared at Chloe. “I’m fine. Everything’s okay,” Chloe reaffirmed. 

After a few seconds Max seemed to register that Chloe was in front of her. She sniffed hard and coughed as she caught her breath. “Chloe...?” Her eyes widened and before Chloe could respond, Max lunged at her and embraced her.

“It’s okay. I’m here, you’re alright.” Chloe put her arms around Max, resting one hand on the back of her head and lightly stroking her hair. “You’re okay,” she whispered. They stayed there for several seconds as Max steadied her breathing. Chloe waited for Max to pull away before letting go.

Max sat there for a moment just sniffling. Chloe pulled a section of toilet paper off the roll and handed it to her. Max blew her nose and took more paper to do so again. She threw them in the toilet and wiped at her face with her sleeve. Then she just stared at Chloe, looking like she was about to cry again.

Chloe’s heart ached seeing her best friend like this. She smiled at Max and put a hand on her cheek, which Max leaned into slightly. “Let’s go eat, okay? Your pancakes are ready.” Max nodded and they both stood up and exited the stall. “One second,” Chloe said, stopping. “You can stand by the door if you like.” Max did so, facing towards a wall. Chloe quickly washed her hands and dried them. She came up next to Max and took her hand. Chloe’s eyes met Max’s and she smiled. “I’m right here,” she said gently.

Max stared at her for a few seconds before tears started to form in her eyes again. She blinked hard and returned the smile. “I know. Thanks.” Chloe let go of Max’s hand and opened the door for her. As they walked back to their booth, Chloe saw the woman from before. She and another woman were staring at Max. Their eyes shifted to Chloe, who sneered at them. They both jumped and turned back towards the table.

The two girls sat down and started eating, neither one saying anything. Chloe watched Max wolf down huge bites and absentmindedly chewed her own food. She didn’t know if Max would ever fully recover, but she made a vow to herself to be there for Max, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello there. It's been a while. -insert excuses here- Shorter than last chapter because goddamn, I need to post SOMETHING. I'm realizing now that I fucked up by writing the future stuff first because now I might have to go back and update that piece with Max's ongoing coping. If I do so, I'll make note of it at the end of one of these chapters, in case anyone wants to reread. If you haven't read that one and want something happy, check out my profile! And, as always, thank you for reading, and for any kudos, comments, and bookmarks <3


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe arrive at the Caulfield residence and finally get to relax

“Max, we’re here.” Chloe gently shook her friend’s shoulder to wake her. Max had fallen asleep shortly after they had left the restaurant. Chloe would have woken her up if she had any more nightmares, but Max had napped peacefully.

Max slowly came back to the waking world. “Mmm...where are we?”

“Your house.” The truck was parked in the Caulfields’ driveway, in front of a two door garage connected to the lovely suburban home.

Max’s eyes widened and she rapidly blinked a few times. She stared ahead at the garage for several seconds. “You okay?” Chloe asked.

Max took a deep breath and shut her eyes tight before looking at Chloe. “I’m good. It’s just kind of weird to come home after the week we’ve had. Like it’s...too normal.” Max looked down at the palms of her hands.

Chloe delicately put her hand on Max’s shoulder. “I think we deserve some normal.” Max looked back to her and smiled. Chloe returned the smile and nodded towards the house. “C’mon, partner.”

They gathered what little stuff they had and got out of the truck. The two girls walked up to the large wooden door of the house. Chloe knocked several times and waited. She was a little anxious about seeing Max’s parents again. It had been five years since she had last seen them. What would they think about her new look? “Oh God, I look like an asshole,” Chloe thought. Leather jacket over a shirt with a skull, torn up jeans, a beanie half covering her vibrantly colored hair. “Fuck, they’re gonna hate me. Shit, I need to watch my language.”

Chloe’s thoughts were interrupted just as she started sweating. The door opened to reveal a woman with long dark hair who was shorter than Max. Max’s mother stood there for a second looking at them before throwing her arms open to hug both girls. She didn’t say anything but Chloe thought she could hear ragged breathing. “Hey mom,” Max said.

Vanessa Caulfield released them and stood back. She swallowed hard and Chloe was sure that she could see tears in her eyes. “Let’s get you girls inside,” she finally said. Max and Chloe walked in past her onto a small concrete landing that had a doormat, shoe rack, and umbrella stand. Max started to take her shoes off and Chloe followed suit, pulling off her heavy boots.

Max got her shoes off quickly while Chloe struggled. As she did, she saw Max quickly move out of the corner of her eye and looked up to see her fall into the arms of her father. Ryan was at least a foot taller than Max and looked like he could wrestle a grizzly bear. After a long hug, he took Max by the shoulders and looked at her. Max’s dad had a big, full, scruffy beard that shifted into a smile. “I’ve missed you, kiddo.”

He pulled Max in for another quick hug as she replied, “I missed you and mom, too.” At some point Vanessa had moved around Chloe. Max’s mom hugged her from the other side, sandwiching Max between her parents. Chloe was standing on the concrete landing in her dirty, sweaty socks, afraid to step onto the nice wood floor of the hall.

The Caulfields separated and Max looked at Chloe. “Chloe, come on. Don’t just stand there.” Her parents both turned to look at Chloe as well and she felt her heart jump.

“Hey,” was all she could think to say as she raised her hand in a small wave.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Max’s dad said. Chloe felt her whole body tense up. Ryan chuckled. “Pretty drastic style change.”

Vanessa came over and grabbed Chloe’s arm gently. “Come here, dear. Let us get a look at you.”

“Mom, don’t be embarrassing,” Max groaned.

“Hush,” her mom replied sweetly. She brought Chloe to stand in front of her and her husband, looking Chloe over head to toe. Chloe thought she might sweat through her jacket and tried not to look too panicked. “Well,” Vanessa said as she looked Chloe in the eye. “You’ve grown into quite a beautiful young woman.”

Chloe was surprised by that and felt herself blush a bit. “Thanks,” she said with a smile.

“Whatcha got on your arm there?” Ryan asked curiously.

Chloe looked down at her arm, so flustered that she actually had to check what he was referring to. “Oh, um. It’s a...tattoo,” she said quietly. Chloe rubbed her wrist awkwardly.

“I see that. What is it?” 

“Uh, flowers. I’m...not sure what kind,” she added in case he asked.

Now Vanessa stepped forward and reached a hand out, running it through the ends of Chloe’s hair. “That’s such a pretty color. Do you go to a salon?”

“Uh, no, I do it myself.” Vanessa looked impressed. She looked like she was going to say something else but Max stepped between them.

“We’re gonna go put our stuff in my room,” Max said with some assertiveness. 

“Right, sorry dear,” her mom said. “There are plenty of towels clean if you girls want showers. And I made sure you had some clothes up there that should still fit.” She look at Chloe, who was six inches taller than Max. “I can find one of her dad’s shirts for you to wear while I wash your clothes if you’d like.”

“No, that’s okay I’ll...” Chloe realized she only had these clothes, which definitely did need to be washed. “Actually that would be nice...” She figured Max would probably be uncomfortable if she just sat in her room naked while her clothes were in the wash. “Thank you.”

Vanessa smiled warmly, which made Chloe think of her own mother. She had lines in her face that Chloe could tell were from smiling, just like Joyce. “Not a problem, sweetheart.”

“Thanks mom,” Max said as she took Chloe’s hand and started leading her. “We’re just gonna get settled for now.” They moved towards Max’s dad, who Chloe now saw had been standing in the entryway to what seemed to be the living room. He stepped aside to let them get to the staircase. Chloe only caught a glimpse of the living room as Max gently pulled her along.

They entered the first room on the right of the second floor. Chloe was a foot into Max’s room and stopped. “Oh my God,” she said quietly. “You fucking nerd.” The first thing she saw was a Final Fantasy poster on the wall opposite the door. The bed was in the corner of the room and had plush toys of cute video game characters sitting next to the pillow. 

There was a bookshelf that was filled with books, as well as video game cases and figures. In the corner across from the bed was a small TV that looked like the first generation of flat screens; old, but not a massive tube television. It sat on a short table with one shelf, where a Playstation 2 resided. Max’s desk was pretty plain, with several school books standing on top, but Chloe thought she saw a Sonic Screwdriver sitting next to a pencil holder.

“You already knew I was a nerd. It’s why you love me,” Max said playfully. Chloe’s heart skipped and she didn’t respond. She walked in further as Max dropped her messenger bag next to the bed and flopped onto it. “You can take first shower.” Max’s voice was slightly muffled by her bedding. “I’m just gonna lay here for a while.”

“What, you saying I stink?” Chloe joked.

“Yes. End of the hall on the right.” Chloe smirked and started to leave, but turned around and approached the bed. She squatted down next to it as Max turned her head. The rest of her body didn’t budge. “What’s up?”

“You doing okay?” Chloe asked. It was very slight, but she saw Max’s eyes twitch. 

“I’m fine, just need some rest.” She did look and sound exhausted, but with how much she had slept in the truck, Max shouldn’t be this drained.

“Max...”

“Hey, let’s get settled for now. We can talk later.” There wasn’t much energy behind the words, but the tone sounded like Max had snapped at her.

Chloe wanted to talk now, but knew that prodding would just agitate Max more. She dropped her chin to rest on her folded arms. “Okay. Sleep now, talk later.”

Max reached up and pulled Chloe’s beanie over her eyes. “Go shower or I’m making you sleep on the floor tonight.” Chloe took her hat off and grinned. She stuck her tongue out as she got up to leave.

Chloe closed the door halfway on her way out so Max could sleep. As she entered the hall, Max’s mom was at the top of the stairs. “Oh, Chloe. Here.” She held out a bundle of clothes. “This shirt should be just a little big. Ryan’s had it since before Max was born. Honestly, I don’t know why he kept it. He used to be half the size he is now.” Vanessa shook her head slightly. “Sorry, getting off track.”

Chloe laughed. “It’s fine.” Max’s parents had actually helped her destress just by acting like normal parents and fussing over Chloe.

“I think you might be about my size around the waist, so I gave you one of my longer skirts to wear for now. We...don’t really have any spare underwear for you, so you can just sit in Max’s room while I wash all of your things, if you’d prefer not to come downstairs. Just throw everything into the hall before you get in the shower and I’ll come grab it.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Vanessa smiled in response. Chloe turned and started down the hall. She heard Max’s mom knock on her door and ask if she wanted her clothes washed.

\

“Jesus.” Chloe was standing in front of the full length mirror that hung on the bathroom door. She had showered and put on the clothes that Max’s mom had given her. The skirt was probably long enough to almost reach Vanessa’s ankles, but on Chloe it was only halfway down her lower leg. The T-shirt was a little too long, but it was extremely loose. It said ‘VIVA LAS VEGAS’ in gaudy lighted lettering. She looked like a total loser, but at least they were clean and dry.

Chloe took a step closer to the mirror. She examined her face, noticing that she was starting to break out a little. It was probably because she hadn’t been able to properly remove or reapply makeup for most of the week. Or from the insane stress that she’d endured. Chloe looked up and ran her fingers through her hair. The chlorine from the school’s pool had done a number on the dye. Only about half of her hair was still blue, the rest fading into various shades of violet and pink. Her blonde roots were also starting to show.

Then Chloe looked at her eyes. They were bloodshot and she only now noticed that her eyelids were heavy and half open. She stared into the blue of her irises, searching for something, but not sure what. A memory flashed into her brain. A memory of staring deeply into hazel eyes.

Chloe shut her eyes tight and took a step back, rubbing her face roughly. She looked up again at her whole reflection, taking a deep breath and straightening her back. She tried to brighten her expression and look positive. “Max comes first,” she said quietly. Chloe turned and opened the bathroom door and was met by a wave of cool air. The sudden breeze made her jump since she was going commando. “Holy shhhh-” She stopped herself upon seeing Max’s mom a few feet away.

“Oh, sorry dear. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Vanessa said with a smirk.

“No, you’re fine, it just got cold suddenly.” Chloe couldn’t tell if her face was warm from the steam or if she was embarrassed.

“Ahh, well your clothes are in the wash and should be ready to dry soon.” Chloe nodded and thanked her. “I think Max is taking a nap,” Vanessa continued. “But Max’s dad actually just left to run some errands, so you have free reign of the house. There’s a guest room downstairs if you want some sleep too. Or the couch, if you prefer.”

“Oh, thanks. I could probably use some sleep.”

“I’m sure. There are extra blankets and pillows down there too.”

Chloe thanked her again and started down the hall. She stopped at Max’s cracked open door and peeked in. The lump under the blankets was still. She stared for a while, making sure Max wasn’t having nightmares. A sudden poke to her shoulder made Chloe jump and she threw her hand to her mouth to suppress a yelp.

Max’s mom was looking at her with a confused expression. “You can go in if you like,” she said.

“Oh, no I...” Chloe thought for a moment. Max’s twisted, crying face from earlier flashed in her mind. “Can we talk downstairs?”

Vanessa’s expression changed to worry as she nodded. They made their way down to the living room and sat on opposite ends of the couch. “What’s wrong, dear?” Her voice was concerned and comforting all at once.

“Max...has had a rough day,” Chloe started. “She’s been having mood swings. And she had a nightmare earlier in my truck.”

Max’s mom looked off to the side and took a deep breath. “I can’t even imagine what you girls went through.” Her voice was a bit choked. She looked back at Chloe. “I want you two to just rest. Ryan and I will do whatever we can to make sure you’re okay.”

“I...” Chloe bit her lip and looked down at her hands. “I don’t know if Max will get better just by taking it easy.” She didn’t want to look at Vanessa’s reaction to this. “Max...kind of broke down earlier. She was in a public restroom and started freaking out and locked herself in the stall.” Chloe could feel her eyes getting wet but kept calm. “There were a few times today that she had the same distant look that David gets sometimes. I hope I’m wrong, but...she’s showing signs of PTSD. I think we should keep an eye out-”

Chloe was surprised when she received a sudden hug. She heard Vanessa sniffle next to her ear. Chloe couldn’t stop the tears that streamed down her own face, but she clenched her jaw to keep some composure and returned the hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Max’s mom pulled away. She wiped her eyes carefully, trying not to smudge her makeup any more.

Vanessa took a very deep breath and smiled at Chloe. There were still tears in her eyes. “Thank you for letting me know, dear. It really means so much to me to know Max has someone like you by her side.” Chloe’s lip quivered and more tears ran down her cheeks. She just nodded, knowing that she’d start crying fully if she opened her mouth.

“We’ll keep an eye on her and hope for the best. But if she needs help, we’ll find someone for her to talk to.” Chloe nodded again. Vanessa reached up and wiped the tears from one of Chloe’s cheeks. “How are you doing, sweetie?”

She wasn’t comfortable talking about Rachel or her confused feelings for Max, so Chloe just smiled weakly and said “I’m just really tired.”

Max’s mom reciprocated the small smile. “Go sleep. Ryan’s getting ingredients for several different meals, so you and Max can decide on dinner when you’re awake.” Chloe nodded and stood up. “I’ll put your clothes on the dresser once they’re done.”

“Thank you.” Chloe took a couple steps and paused. “Thank you for everything. I really appreciate you letting me stay here.”

Vanessa looked almost offended that Chloe thought there was a chance that she wouldn’t be welcome. “Of course, dear. You were always like a second daughter to us. That didn’t stop just because we haven’t seen you in a few years.”

A big grin spread across Chloe’s face and she laughed, which was choked by a happy sob. She wiped away the fresh tears in her eyes. Vanessa smiled warmly and Chloe swore even her eyes were smiling. Her gaze was kind and loving, and Chloe felt her heart swell with happiness and a little relief.

“I’m gonna go lay down,” Chloe said hoarsely.

“Go on, I think some sleep will do you good.”

Chloe walked out of the living room and down the hall. She peeked into every room, the dining hall and kitchen on the left and a small bathroom on the right. The last room on the right was the guest room. From the sounds, Chloe guessed that the door at the very end on the left led to the laundry room. There was a door at the end of the hall which probably led to the backyard.

The guest bedroom was a bit smaller than Max’s room, but instead of a twin bed pushed into the corner, there was a king bed right in the middle. The room was furnished and decorated simply, but was still very nice. Chloe shut the door halfway before moving towards the bed. She fell forward and flopped face first onto the covers.

Chloe stayed like that for a moment, letting herself relax. She pulled herself towards the pillows and lifted her legs up to retrieve the blanket from under her. After getting situated, Chloe rested her head on the pillow and drew the blanket up to her chin. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will wrap up this long day. Hopefully I'll update soonish but with Rogue One premiering, I'll be working a lot plus I have like 9 video games I need to get through.
> 
> In canon, Chloe is 5'9", but I bumped her up two inches because I always imagine her being taller than the average girl. And my friend wasn't sure about Chloe jumping straight to possible trauma, but living with David for several years, she knows enough about it to know that if Max has it, she needs help managing it. Better to prepare for the worst, y'know?
> 
> Anyway, as always, I appreciate any feedback and I hope you'll come back for the next chapter!
> 
> P.S. If you want some holiday cuteness, I have a Christmas Pricefield fluff fic too. Give it a look if you haven't already <3


	4. Day's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long day comes to an end and Chloe's problems start to surface as she struggles to help Max.

“Now be good okay?”

Chloe could faintly hear a voice as she slept. It sounded like the person was whispering.

“No! Buddy!”

It was immediately followed by a large weight landing on Chloe. She became very awake very quickly. “Oh m- what the fuck!?” She sat up as much as she could and found herself staring at a golden retriever panting happily while standing awkwardly on her. The dog moved closer and began to sniff Chloe enthusiastically, pressing its cold nose against her face.

“I’m so sorry! Buddy, down! Bad!” Max’s mother was next to the bed and grabbed the dog’s collar to pull it off of Chloe. It shifted awkwardly as it freed her and on the way off the bed, it stepped on Chloe’s pelvis.

“Mother-” Chloe recoiled from the pain and rolled over. She was still trying her best not to swear in front of Max’s parents. A string of creatively explicit phrases went through her mind.

“Are you okay?” Vanessa asked. She was still holding the dog’s collar as it squirmed excitedly next to her.

“Mhm. Just gimme a minute,” Chloe groaned. Vanessa walked out of the room with the dog in tow and closed the door behind her. “Jesus fuck,” Chloe said quietly. “What a shitty alarm.”

Chloe laid there for a couple minutes until the pain subsided. She sat up on the edge of the bed and stretched. It was close to sunset now and the room was darker. Chloe thought to check the time on her phone, but remembered that she’d left it in her truck.

She stood up and scratched her head, looking around for her clothes. They were folded neatly on top of the dresser on one side of the room, minus her jacket. Chloe changed into her own clothes and laid the borrowed ones on the bed. She left her beanie and socks on top of the dresser and exited the bedroom. 

Chloe walked down the hall and glanced into the kitchen, where Max’s dad was unloading bags of groceries. The big yellow dog was sitting next to him, but rushed over when it saw Chloe.

“Buddy, behave.” Ryan’s voice was deep and authoritative and the dog stopped about a foot away from Chloe. It looked up at her, then turned its head to look at Ryan. “Be good,” he said sternly.

Chloe leaned over and scratched the dog’s head. It turned its attention back to her and began wriggling its body in excitement, but stayed in place rather than tackling her. Chloe smiled, thinking back to when she would play with Rachel’s dog.

“Buddy? Boy I’m guessing?”

“Yup. Ornery thing, he is,” Ryan said. “We got him from a shelter a couple of months after moving here. Figured he might make the relocation easier on Max.” He moved around the kitchen, opening cabinets to put away food. “Speaking of Max, would you mind checking if she’s awake yet? I need a family vote on what to make for dinner.”

“Sure thing.” Chloe pulled her hand away from Buddy and started walking towards the staircase. The fluffy dog followed close behind her and went with her upstairs, careful not to get under her feet. She was about to push Max’s door open and paused. She glanced down at the big dog, who stared back at her. “Let’s not scare the shit out of her just yet,” Chloe muttered and took a hold of the leather collar that Buddy wore.

The door gave a quiet squeak as it opened. Chloe poked her head around it to look in the room. “Max?” she said quietly. Max was sitting on the edge of her bed, wearing a set of sleeping clothes and staring out the window. The setting sun illuminated Max in an orange glow. She turned her head to look at Chloe. “How ya feelin?”

Max still looked exhausted but she smiled. “I’m good.” She looked down at Buddy and held her hands out. “C’mere boy.” The collar tugged in Chloe’s hand and she let go, letting the dog trot happily over to Max. He put his front paws up onto her lap and reached his head up to try and lick Max’s face. She laughed, but it sounded hollow to Chloe. Like there was no happiness, just a reflexive response.

Buddy moved so that he was sitting between Max’s legs, enjoying the pets and scratches he was getting. Chloe watched, focusing on the details of Max’s face. She had a faint smile but her eyes were half closed and unfocused, just like they’d been all day.

Chloe clenched her teeth in frustration. Max didn’t want to talk anything out yet, but Chloe didn’t know what else to do to try and help. She’d never dealt with someone shutting down like this. She’d always been the difficult one, but this wasn’t the same as teenage rebellion. That train of thought gave her an idea: what did she want people to do back then? She’d never wanted to talk either, so what would have helped her?

As Chloe began to mull over that idea, Max looked up at her. “What’s up?” she asked. “You are allowed to take more than two steps into my room.” If nothing else, Chloe took solace that Max was still a smartass.

“Your dad wants to know what you want for dinner.”

Max looked back down at Buddy and was silent for several seconds. “I’m not all that hungry.” Chloe frowned and was about to say something but Max seemed to realize that and continued. “I’ll eat anything he makes. You can pick whatever you want.”

She showed no indication of getting up, continuing to rub Buddy’s ears. “You wanna come talk to him about it?” Chloe tried.

Max shook her head. “I’ll be down in a bit.” She still hadn’t looked back up.

Chloe was not the most patient person and she felt her temper rising. She left the room without saying anything else, closing the door behind her but leaving it cracked enough for Buddy to fit through. She sat down on the top step of the staircase and put her face in her hands.

“Do not get mad at her,” Chloe thought. She breathed deeply and relaxed her muscles. “It’s not her fault. Be patient.” She began to wonder if this is how her mother and David had felt while dealing with her. She knew she wasn’t mad at Max. She was just angry that Max was letting herself sink. “I need a smoke,” she muttered.

Chloe moved down to the front door landing and pulled her boots on over her bare feet. She opened the door and stepped outside, shivering slightly at the autumn chill. She walked towards her truck and realized she’d left her keys in her jacket. Luckily, she never locked the doors anyway. She opened the passenger side door and opened the glove box.

Her phone and cigarettes sat on top of a pile of miscellaneous papers and junk. Chloe grabbed the phone and pulled a cigarette from the box, then began rifling through the mess for a lighter. As she did, she saw the wad of cash from her parents that she had tucked into the side of the compartment. “Maybe I should start locking my doors,” she thought. She shoved the money into her pocket and retrieved a lighter before shutting the door.

Chloe leaned on her truck as she lit a cigarette. She took a drag and started messing with her phone. The screen remained black, its battery dead. Chloe growled at it and put it away. She looked up at the sky and blew out a cloud of smoke. She watched the gray wisps disappear into the air, leaving her staring at the orange-red sky. Chloe continued smoking absentmindedly, relaxing and letting her thoughts drift. She remembered a sky like this from another day. 

\

It was summer, just over a year ago. She was smoking as she sat on the bench next to Arcadia Bay’s lighthouse. The phone sitting next to her played some pop song that she never knew the name of. And in front of her was Rachel, showing Chloe the dance that she had thought of while listening to the song.

Chloe smiled as she watched her dance, her figure backlit by the sunset. Chloe’s shining light in her dark life. Rachel suddenly paused to look up at Chloe. “C’mon! Dance with me!”

“No way dude. I don’t even like this song.”

Rachel pouted. “Pleeeease.” She knew that Chloe would never say no to that face.

“Fine.” Chloe tossed her cigarette onto the dirt as she stood up. Rachel was holding up her arms, her fingers beckoning to Chloe as the rest of her body continued to move to the music. Chloe joined her and started dancing, trying to match her rhythm.

They moved together, only a foot away from each other. The music became faint and distant to Chloe, her full attention fixed on Rachel. Her eyes were closed as she danced, but she opened them and saw Chloe staring. Rachel smiled and reached up to put her hands on the back of Chloe’s neck, locking eyes with her.

Chloe could remember every detail of that moment. The warmth of the setting summer sun, the cool ocean breeze, the smell of the salty sea and Rachel’s strawberry shampoo mixing together, the light weight of Rachel’s hands. She even remembered the exact few seconds of the song that played right then. 

Most of all, she saw Rachel, glowing in the light of dusk. Her smile felt warmer than the sun to Chloe and her blonde hair looked like fire in the light. Her hazel eyes shone with love, but not the same love that Chloe felt for her. Chloe knew that, but it never mattered to her. She didn’t care if Rachel ever reciprocated her feelings, she was just happy having her in her life.

\

The neglected cigarette Chloe was holding smoldered down and burned her fingers, bringing her back to the present. She dropped it and let her shaking hands fall to her sides. The chill had worn at her and she was shivering in her tanktop. She wiped away the stream of tears on her cheeks and sniffed sharply to relieve her runny nose.

Chloe stood in the Caulfields’ driveway for a moment to just breathe, trying to ground herself in reality. Her breath was ragged and her throat stung from the cold as she tried to steady it. Her head had started hurting and her whole body was shaking. She shut her eyes tight and fought back any new tears. Chloe couldn’t break down now. She had to be strong and support Max.

Once she felt stable, Chloe opened the truck door to toss the lighter onto the seat, then closed it. She walked back to the door of the house and went inside. She removed her boots and made her way to the small downstairs bathroom to wash her face. Chloe turned the water off and looked up at the vanity mirror. “C’mon, Price. Keep it together,” she said to the reflection.

Chloe stepped into the hall and from the kitchen, heard someone abruptly stop talking. She walked down the hall and stopped at the kitchen’s doorway. Ryan had finished putting away food and was sitting down at the table, resting an elbow on the table while his hand covered his mouth. Vanessa was leaning against one of the counters, her arms folded. They both looked at her as she entered.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” Chloe said.

“It’s fine, dear,” Vanessa replied. She leaned a bit, trying to look around Chloe. “I was telling Ryan about what you and I talked about before,” she said solemnly. Chloe looked to Max’s dad, who still had his mouth covered and was looking at the floor now. Chloe could see that his eyes were wet.

They all stayed silent for a moment. Chloe wasn’t sure what to say and guessed that they didn’t know either. Ryan was the one that finally broke the silence. “Do you know what happened?” His voice was tense, like he was trying not to get choked up. “To Max.”

“I...” What the hell was she supposed to say? ‘Your daughter got super powers and messed with time and reality and watched me die several times then had to play God and decided to let Arcadia Bay be destroyed so I could live.’ 

Chloe came to the grim realization that Max might never be able to get the proper help she needed to cope. Best case scenario, doctors think she has some sort of disorder that made her vividly imagine everything. Worst case, they send her to a lab and try to figure out how she got her powers. A chill ran through Chloe’s entire body. “I’m the only one she has...” she thought. It was on her to figure out how to help Max deal with this.

Panic started to rise in her chest when Vanessa spoke up. “Chloe?” She snapped back to the present and looked at Max’s parents. They both looked concerned and Chloe felt a pang of guilt. They’d probably never actually know the full extent of what their daughter had gone through.

“I think just...it’s hard to deal with stuff like this.” Chloe looked at the floor between them. She felt guilty that she couldn’t tell them everything. “The whole town was wrecked and she lost a lot of classmates. It might just be sur-” The term stuck in her throat as she realized it was what she felt herself. “Survivor’s guilt...”

They fell silent again. Vanessa put a hand to her mouth now as tears started to form in her eyes. Ryan was leaning forward, his hands clasped together as he rested his elbows on his knees. Chloe shoved her hands into the tight back pockets of her jeans. As she did, she felt the money in her other pocket shift.

Chloe pulled the cash out and held it up reluctantly, unsure if it was appropriate to change the topic so abruptly. “Um, this is from my parents. For letting me stay here.” She looked back and forth between them.

Vanessa stepped forward and put her hands over Chloe’s, closing them around the money. “We’re not taking a single cent. You use that for whatever you need.” Her eyes were still wet and red from crying, but the look she gave Chloe was stern.

Chloe relaxed her arm and Vanessa let go of her hands. “Thanks,” said Chloe.

Max’s mom smiled and leaned in a bit. “Maybe not on cigarettes though.” Chloe’s face went red and Vanessa chuckled. The sound of jingling dogtags brought all three of them to attention.

They straightened themselves out to look normal. Vanessa went back to leaning on the counter, quickly wiping at her eyes. Chloe put the wad of cash back in her pocket and moved to lean against the side of the fridge. Buddy trotted into the room and was followed by Max, still in her pajamas. “Hey sweetie,” her mother greeted. “You have a good nap?”

Max gave her the forced smile that Chloe had seen all day and nodded. “I missed my bed,” she said.

“So whatcha hungry for, kiddo?” Her dad asked brightly.

Max looked at Chloe. “I told Chloe that she could pick.”

Chloe had a moment of panic that Max would realize they’d been talking about her. “Your dad was just telling me about all of his recipes.” She looked to Ryan expectantly.

“But since you’re here, what are your thoughts?” he asked Max.

Chloe felt like she was being too obvious, but Max didn’t react. She just shrugged. “I like everything you make. I’ll eat anything.”

Ryan looked back to Chloe, who tried to communicate a shrug with just her face. “Well, how about beef enchiladas? Or chicken?”

Chloe’s stomach growled just then. “Sounds great to me,” she said. “I like beef better.”

“Side of Spanish rice?” Ryan added. Chloe nodded. He looked at his wife.

“Enchiladas will work,” she replied.

Ryan nodded affirmatively. “Alrighty then. Why don’t you two go relax? Should be less than an hour.”

Chloe took her weight off the fridge and moved towards Max. “Just let me know if you need help,” she offered to the parents. Ryan waved his hands to shoo them away and the girls exited the kitchen.

Max and Chloe relocated to the living room with Buddy following. Chloe hadn’t gotten a good look at the room earlier. There was a couch against the front exterior wall with a window behind it. An armchair sat in the corner next to another window that looked out to the neighboring house. A worn, but still pretty rug was under the coffee table near the couch. 

On the wall opposite the couch there was a short but long entertainment shelf with a fairly large flat screen television on it. Above that was a long shelf covered in framed pictures. From where she stood, Chloe could tell that they were all pictures of Max throughout her life.

Max sat down on the far end of the couch and grabbed a remote off of the coffee table. Buddy jumped up onto the couch and settled next to her, resting his head on her lap. “You know you’re not supposed to be up here,” Max told the dog. He sighed heavily and Max chuckled.

Chloe came over and moved Buddy’s tail so that she wouldn’t sit on it. “Excuse me,” she said.

“Sorry. I think he just missed me,” Max told her. Chloe smiled at the big fluffy dog. She could tell that he was worried about Max too. Animals always seemed to know when their humans needed comfort.

“S’all good. I can just use him as a pillow if I need to.” Chloe rubbed her hand against the dog’s side. “Good boy,” she thought. Buddy responded by thumping his tail against her leg.

Max turned her attention to the TV and turned it on. “What are you in the mood for?”

Chloe shrugged. “I dunno. My usual pick is something funny or something with explosions.”

Max laughed. “Such sophisticated taste.”

“Says the anime nerd.”

“Shut up!” Chloe watched Max as she looked through the TV guide. She actually sounded happier and her smile seemed more genuine.

Chloe smiled and relaxed some muscles that she hadn’t realized were tensed up. She wanted to believe she actually was helping, but maybe it wasn’t her at all. Chloe pushed her worries aside, just happy that Max’s mood had improved slightly, regardless of why. 

\

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Chloe tried to talk while she and Max watched a movie, but Max barely responded and made no attempts to start a conversation. During dinner, Max’s parents asked the girls lots of questions, many of which Chloe could tell were attempts to draw Max into talking more. She was more responsive with her parents, but was still much less talkative than usual. Max also took the smallest helping of food, but didn’t finish it.

After they’d eaten, Max’s mom took cleanup duty and the rest of them went back to the living room. Max returned to her previous seat at one end of the couch. Buddy, who’d been laying next to her chair the whole time they were eating, also took his earlier spot with his head on Max’s lap. Ryan sat down in the armchair and Chloe decided to sit on the floor with her back against the couch.

The TV came to life again as Max took the remote and looked through channels. Chloe looked to Ryan, hoping he might come up with something. He had his hand over his mouth again while he looked off in another direction. Chloe guessed that it was a habit while he was thinking.

“Oh, Max,” he finally said. “Were you interested in seeing that new space movie? The one with George Clooney?”

“I think it’s called Gravity,” Chloe added. Going to a movie might be good. “I’m always down for space. Wanna check it out?” she said to Max.

“Um.” Max continued to look at the TV as she thought for a moment. She turned to her dad. “Maybe. I kinda want to take it easy for now.” Chloe recognized her tone as ‘I don’t really want to but I don’t want to tell you no.’

“Okay, well just let me know,” Ryan conceded. Max turned her attention back to the TV and her dad looked at Chloe with a helpless expression. Chloe chewed on her lip, trying to think of something.

A couple minutes passed with no one speaking. Max landed on an episode of Friends which Chloe half watched, still racking her brain for anything to say. Max was the one that broke the silence. “I actually think I’m gonna head to bed early.” 

Max moved a bit to get Buddy off before fully standing up. Max gave her dad a hug before leaving and going down the hall. Chloe faintly heard Vanessa say “Okay, sweetie. Sweet dreams.” 

Max came back into view and waved to the room. “Good night,” she said.

“Good night, sweetheart,” her dad answered.

“I’ll probably be up soon. Pretty tired myself,” Chloe lied. Max just nodded and went upstairs. Buddy hopped off of the couch and followed her, leaving Chloe alone with Ryan. The pair sat in silence, absentmindedly staring at the sitcom on screen. 

Chloe waited to give Max time to settle in and then turned the volume up a few notches. She got up and sat on the end of the couch near Ryan. “Has Max had problems with depression before?” she asked. Chloe had been thinking about it this afternoon. She’d seen this sort of lifelessness in her mother, who had started taking anti-depressants after her dad passed. It might just be part of the trauma, but Chloe wanted to understand what was going on with Max as much as possible.

Ryan nodded slowly. “Yeah, about a year after we moved, she was prescribed anti-depressants. It wasn’t this bad, though,” he sighed. “They actually lowered her dose a couple months before she left for Blackwell.”

“Wait.” Chloe thought for a moment. “Does she take them in the morning?” Ryan nodded. “Crap.” She was pissed that she hadn’t thought of it before. She thought back to the last few days. “I think this is the fourth day in a row that she hasn’t taken them.” That surely wasn’t the only reason she was this bad, but it certainly didn’t help.

“What...why wasn’t she taking them?” Ryan’s voice was much more concerned now. “Was there something wrong?” He must have assumed that she was neglecting her medication on purpose for some reason.

“No, she just...” Chloe wasn’t sure about Wednesday, Max might have taken them after Chloe took her back to school. But she knew for sure that she hadn’t for the past three days. When Max was in a different timeline, her body went on a weird sort of auto-pilot and must not have known to take meds. That’s how she’d been Thursday and Friday morning when she was with Chloe.

“Goddammit,” Chloe thought. She never asked to make sure Max had everything to stay over at her house. “I think she just forgot,” she told Ryan. “She’d slept over every night since Tuesday and it probably just slipped her mind.” Max’s dad still looked worried, but relaxed some.

Ryan fell back into the chair and looked at the ceiling. “Dammit,” he said quietly. He shook his head. “So she probably left them in her dorm. I don’t know how soon we can get her in to see her doctor to get another prescription.”

Chloe felt guilty and looked down at the rug. “Sorry. I should have made sure she had everything.”

Ryan looked at her and sat up. “No no, it’s not your fault.” He placed his hand on Chloe’s shoulder gently. “You had no way of knowing.”

Chloe half-smiled and nodded, but she still felt partly responsible. “I think I’m gonna hit the hay too,” she said.

Ryan nodded. “Okay. Sleep well,” he said as he sat back. “Let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks. I will.” Chloe went to say good night to Max’s mother as well, who hugged her tightly and repeated Ryan’s line of asking for whatever she needed. She went upstairs and opened Max’s bedroom door, which was open a few inches. 

“Max?” Chloe whispered. The room was dark, but moonlight filtered in through the curtains, providing some light. The lump on the bed didn’t stir. Buddy was on the floor at the foot of the bed and raised his head when she walked in. He got up and came to sniff her, wagged his tail a couple of times, then moved past her and left the room.

Chloe left the door open slightly in case the dog wanted to come back. She removed her shirt and jeans, tossing them onto a short, squishy chair that looked like it would be ideal for reading or gaming. Chloe lifted the covers of the bed to slide in and lay down. She shifted to get comfortable, careful not to shake the bed too much.

Chloe stared at the ceiling, letting her mind wander. It jumped to the memory from earlier, but Chloe pushed that away. “Need to focus on Max for now,” she thought. She thought about today, about how Max was and how she could help. The night at the pool suddenly flashed into her mind again.

Chloe shut her eyes tightly, annoyed with her own subconscious. She didn’t need any of this right now. She needed to help Max. “What the fuck is wrong with me?” she thought. Chloe opened her eyes, suddenly aware of how heavily that question weighed on her. “What’s wrong with me?”

A sniffle interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head to look at Max. She could see her shaking a bit and heard another sniffle. “Max?”

Max sniffed harder this time and cleared her throat. “Sorry,” she said hoarsely. Chloe started to say something, but stopped. Max didn’t want to talk yet. She made it clear that she wasn’t ready.

Chloe was still for a moment, not sure of the best way to handle this. The idea from earlier came back to her and she decided to try something that would have helped her during moments like this. She rolled onto her side and moved closer, which wasn’t far on the small bed. She put an arm around Max to hug her. “You’re okay,” Chloe whispered. 

Max didn’t react so Chloe started to let go and move away, but Max suddenly grabbed her arm. She rolled around and even in the dim light, Chloe could see tears shining on Max’s contorted face. She put her hand on Chloe’s back and they pulled each other closer. Max pressed her face against Chloe’s chest and squeezed her sides, tightening her hold. She began to sob, her whole body shaking. 

Chloe put a hand on Max’s head as she convulsed in her arms, her sobs muffled as she buried her face against Chloe. “It’s alright,” Chloe said gently as she started crying too. “You’re okay.” She stroked Max’s hair lightly. “Everything’s gonna be okay.” Chloe wasn’t sure at that moment if she was trying to convince Max or herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad that I nitpicked this one for a while. I originally didn't have the driveway scene at all. Also initially had a movie reference from 2015 haha. I realize it's been like two months since the last update...sorry about that. Rogue One kinda kicked my ass. Next chapter will probably be shorter and hopefully a little lighter. I'm kind of amazed that these four chapters are just one day, but it'll speed up after this.
> 
> Anyway, I really hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! I really appreciate the kudos and comments! Which, by the way, sorry I never reply! I just never really know what to say. But I definitely read and appreciate them <3


	5. Into the Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an exhausting week, Max and Chloe take a day to relax and go shopping.

The next day was very mellow. Max slept a lot while Chloe watched TV and helped with chores and cooking. Ryan took Monday off to make sure the girls were okay. By then, Max was at a normal tired student level and lounged around the house. Chloe could tell she still wasn’t a hundred percent, but she was better. Since the girls were doing fine, Ryan went back to the school on Tuesday, leaving Max and Chloe at home by themselves.

The two of them were laying on the couch, Max’s feet resting on Chloe’s lap. They were heckling an HGTV home improvement show and eating assorted junk food. It was the best Chloe had felt in several days.

“Oh my God, that wallpaper is so bad,” Max said with a mouth full of potato chips.

“At least it fits with the rest of their ugly house.” Chloe shoved a large handful of popcorn into her mouth. She struggled to sit forward because of Max’s feet and made exaggerated noises of exertion. Max ignored her and Chloe grabbed her can of grape soda. She started to drink as she sat back and spilled a bit as she thumped back against the couch.

“Shit.” She looked down at the purple spots on her white tank top. “Goddammit, I just washed this.” She patted Max’s feet and she moved them quickly, allowing Chloe to get up. She almost tripped on Buddy lying on the floor in front of them. Chloe made her way to the laundry room, removing her shirt along the way. “If I could be just slightly less awkward, that’d be great,” she muttered to herself.

Chloe applied stain remover and tossed the shirt into the wash. She looked down at her sports bra and sighed. “Really wish I had more than one shirt.” A light bulb went off in her head and she briskly walked back to the living room.

Max was still lounging and snacking as Chloe entered. “Hey Max, let’s go shopping!”

Max looked her in the eye, then down, then back up. “I don’t think they’d let you in looking like that.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes in fake annoyance. “After my shirt’s done, smartass. C’mon, I have literally one outfit and you only have a few clothes that still fit you.” Max looked off into space, considering this. Chloe took a calmer tone. “I think it’d be a good reason to get out of the house.” 

Max seemed to tense up, then took a deep breath and relaxed again. She nodded. “Okay. But I’m picking the stores.”

“Deal,” Chloe said with a grin.

\

Max chose a mall on the outskirts of the city. Still big, but far enough out to not be a huge crowd. They were about halfway there and Max had been quiet since they’d left the house. Chloe looked over and noticed her teeth chattering. It wasn’t too cold and Max was wearing one of her dad’s old jackets that was still huge on her. Chloe turned down the radio that was playing the local rock station.

Chloe reached over and put her hand on Max’s. “Hey,” she glanced between Max and the road. Max looked away from staring out the passenger window to meet her eyes. “It’ll be okay,” Chloe said gently.

Max’s shoulders lowered as she exhaled. She turned her hand to lightly grip Chloe’s. “Yeah.”

\

They arrived at the mall and started walking around, browsing the stores as they passed. It wasn’t too crowded since it was midday on a Tuesday. It was mostly people around their age. Chloe saw one group of teenagers that were probably ditching. As she looked around, Chloe glanced at Max, who was slightly hunched as she walked, like she was trying to be as small as she could.

Chloe glanced around at the other people. They were all going about their own business, not giving attention to anyone around them. Her heart pounded against her chest as she took her hand out of her pocket and nudged Max. Max looked up at her, then down at Chloe’s hand, held out with her palm up.

“If it would help you be comfortable, you can hold my hand,” Chloe said just loud enough for Max to hear. They were still walking, Chloe looking forward and trying to give her best ‘Don’t fuck with me’ face. Max considered for a moment before taking Chloe’s hand. She tugged down and moved closer, trying not to be too obvious. She probably had the same concerns as Chloe.

They walked a bit further before Max squeezed Chloe’s hand and said “Thanks.”

Chloe’s face flushed as she smiled. “Yeah.”

A few minutes later, Max pointed out a store and they went in. It had a surfer vibe to it, like Hollister without being an assault on the senses. Chloe looked around and saw several things that appealed to her, and other items that she thought would look great on Max. “Huh. Nice choice, Caulfield.” Max smiled at her as she gently pulled Chloe through the store.

They stopped at a display and Max let go of Chloe’s hand. It hung in the air for a second before dropping, as if it reflexively missed Max’s hand. Chloe stood beside Max, looking through the selection of shirts. They moved around the store, each picking out a pile of clothes that they draped over their arms.

Eventually they reached a round table with a variety of women’s underwear. “It’d probably be good to have more than one pair,” Max remarked.

“I’ve just been going commando,” Chloe joked. Max chuckled as she looked through the piles. Chloe picked through as well, feeling her face getting a bit warm. “Girls look at underwear together all the time,” she thought. “Don’t be weird.”

Even so, Chloe couldn’t stop her heart from jumping when Max held up a pair and asked “Do you think these are cute?” Chloe just smiled and nodded, trying to will away the redness in her face.

They tried on their selections and made final choices, then headed to the registers. Max went first and as she checked out, Chloe looked at the accessories displayed next to the registers. They hadn’t bothered looking through them since the focus of the trip was to assemble a decent wardrobe. Her attention was drawn to a simple silver chain necklace with a long blue stone hanging from it. Chloe glanced at Max, who was chatting with the cashier. She grabbed the necklace and tucked it under her pile of clothes.

Max finished paying and stood aside for Chloe. “Hey Max, would you mind checking that directory to see what kind of grub they’ve got here? I’m starving.” Chloe gestured towards the fixture just outside the store.

“Good plan.”

Max began to walk away and Chloe pulled out the necklace. “I’m trying to surprise her,” she told the cashier. 

The girl smiled and glanced over at Max standing in front of the directory. “You too are really cute together,” she said with a slight giggle.

Chloe’s heart leaped into her throat. “She’s not- We’re not-” she stammered.

The cashier dropped her smile. “Oh I’m so sorry! I saw you walk in holding hands and just assumed.”

Chloe waved it off, but her heart was still beating fast. “It’s fine. It just makes her more comfortable in crowds.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to explain herself to a stranger. She finished checking out and left the store to join Max. “Anything good?”

“How about this burger place?” Max pointed to the list of restaurants. She was referring to one named ‘Burger Bonanza.’

“Hell yes, a burger sounds incredible.” Chloe traced a path along the map from their location. As she did, Max took hold of Chloe’s free hand. She looked at Max, who was concentrating on the directory as well. Max was either more comfortable with it now or she did it subconsciously. Either way, it made Chloe smile.

“Hey, uh.” Chloe reluctantly pulled her hand away from Max’s and reached into the plastic bag hanging from her other arm. “Uh. Here. I thought this would look good on you.” She held out the necklace and stared at her own hand. Max took it without saying anything at first. Chloe looked up at Max, who appeared somewhat amazed. 

“It’s really pretty,” Max finally said.

“It...reminded me of your eyes. I mean, it matches them. So I thought...yeah.” Max’s face shifted slightly and Chloe thought she saw her turn redder. 

Max set her bag on the floor next to her and started undoing the packaging on the necklace. “Thank you. You really didn’t have to.”

Chloe shrugged. “It was ten bucks. No big deal.”

Max finished extracting it and put it on. It was just the right length and the stone hung above her sternum. “How’s it look?”

Chloe grinned and without thinking said “Perfect.” Max returned the smile and gave her a quick hug. “Alright,” Chloe said once she pulled away. “Food time.”

Max picked up her bag and took Chloe’s hand again. As they turned to walk away, Chloe glanced back into the store. The cashier had her head resting on her hands and seemed to have been watching. She caught Chloe’s eye and gave a thumbs up accompanied by a smile. Chloe’s face went hot as she turned and walked away.

\

On the way to lunch, they passed by a movie theater built into the mall. Max texted her dad to ask if he would mind if they saw Gravity without him. He replied while they were eating, saying he didn’t mind, adding ‘Have fun! Love you!” The girls bought their tickets for the next show, in an hour. 

They wandered around more after lunch, stopping into a department store to get a few basic clothing items at a reasonable price. Max had to physically pull Chloe out of a candy store before she bought anything. Max browsed around a small store that sold cameras and accessories without buying anything, but commented that she needed to come back for film.

Eventually they passed by an electronics store. “Oh hey, let’s get some headphones,” Chloe said as she halted in front of it.

“Chloe, we’re just getting the essentials today.”

“Yeah, and you need headphones. Trust me, it’ll help you recover.” Chloe didn’t like being that blunt, but she actually did think that being able to tune out would help Max. And Max was much better today so Chloe figured she could take it.

Max considered this for a moment before sighing. “Fine, but nothing fancy.”

They walked in and wandered around until they found the accessories section. “How about these?” Chloe asked, pointing to a pair.

“Bluetooth is fancy. No deal.”

“You’re no fun,” Chloe replied. She playfully bumped her hip against Max’s, who returned the gesture slightly harder. “Fine, how about these? Nice and basic sound canceling.” She picked a pair off the shelf and handed them to Max. “Only fifteen bucks. That’s pretty good.”

Max reached out and inspected the hook that the headphones were hanging on, moving some aside. She pulled a couple off to grab a pair that were metallic pink, then found a blue pair that she handed to Chloe. Chloe smiled and took them. “The color is the most important part,” Max said as she started walking away.

“This I cannot argue.” They made their way to the registers while Chloe began to internally whine about the weight of the three bags of clothes on her arms.

As they stood in line, Chloe heard Max quietly say “Oh hey.” She followed Max’s line of sight to a display near the checkout for a new Pokemon game. 

Chloe saw Max’s expression and nudged her. “You should buy it.”

Max turned and frowned at her. “Essentials. I just forgot it was released last week.”

“Do you still have your 3DS? It wasn’t lost?” Chloe tried to be vague to avoid making Max think about Arcadia too much.

Max shook her head. “No, I carried it around in my bag because Warren and I would play together sometimes. I found it at the bottom when I emptied my bag out.”

“It still worked?”

“Yeah, it’s just really really low on battery and I don’t have a charger.”

“Well get the game and a charger, too.” Chloe grinned, trying to sell Max on the idea.

“Chloe, no.”

“C’moooon, I can name all of your Pokemon weird shit.” Max continued glaring at her. “I think it’ll help,” Chloe added.

“You said that about the headphones.” Max held them up. “This is enough for today.” Chloe pouted and started looking around. She walked off as Max asked “Where are you going?” Chloe found the gaming section and grabbed a 3DS charger, then located the games on a shelf. She was trying to figure out what the difference between the two versions was as Max found her. “Chloe.” Max sounded tired.

Chloe worried that she was getting on Max’s nerves, but she wanted to get Max back to normal as soon as possible. A new game would definitely help Max take her mind off of her problems. “I’m buying it for you if you won’t.” She grabbed the red case from the shelf and stared at Max.

Max gave her an annoyed expression before shaking her head. “Wrong one,” she said, sounding defeated. Chloe smiled and swapped for the blue version. “But I’ll buy them myself.” Max grabbed the game and charger from Chloe’s hands. She glared at Chloe, but her smirk gave her away.

They checked out and left the store, making their way outside to drop off their bags. They’d given up on holding hands, but Max seemed fine so Chloe wasn’t concerned. Halfway there, Max asked “Hey, do you wanna just head home?”

“Why? You okay?” Chloe was worried that Max was starting to get anxious again.

“Yeah, I’m just getting tired. I think I’d fall asleep at a movie.”

“Yeah, sure. How about we rent a movie or two on the way home instead?” Chloe offered.

Max smiled and nodded. “That sounds perfect.” 

They turned around to get to the theater and returned their tickets. Chloe hadn’t realized how tired she was, too, but three and a half hours at a mall can do that. When they got back to the truck, she felt so relieved to sit and put down the bags. They squished the bags between them on the seat and next to Max’s legs. 

“Hey,” Max said as Chloe started the truck. “Thanks.”

Chloe was confused for a second but saw Max playing with the necklace. “Oh, dude, like I said it was ten bucks.”

“No, I mean...thank you for today. I needed it.” She looked at Chloe with a warm smile.

Chloe felt herself getting a bit emotional. That smile made Chloe happier than she’d been since that morning of just laying in bed talking with Max. “Yeah. Any time.” 

Max moved to reach over the pile of bags so she could hug Chloe. She grunted quietly as she did. “This is very uncomfortable.” They both started laughing as Max sat back down.

As they drove back to Max’s house, Chloe congratulated herself. “You did good, Price,” she thought. “Just keep it up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured I'd give the girls an emotional break before really diving into the heavy stuff. Nice, short, fluffy chapter. I also just like writing Chloe as a flustered dork trying to flirt with Max. I imagine she's a heartbreaker with guys, but is super awkward when she likes a girl. 
> 
> You know the spiel by now. Thanks for the love and I'll try to update sooner~


	6. Tidal Wave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe's feelings start to catch up to her.

“Chloe! C’mere!” 

“One sec!” She was playing with Buddy in the back yard while Max sat at a picnic table. It was warm for October and made for a pleasant afternoon to be outside. Chloe tossed the dog’s toy a few feet away so that Buddy chased after it before trotting over to Max. “What’s up?”

“Need a name.” Max was playing the game she had bought the other day. She had agreed to letting Chloe name all the Pokemon she caught. 

Chloe sat down next to her and leaned over to look at the screen. “That’s a sword. That is just a sword.”

“Well name the sword.”

“Hmm.” Chloe leaned back thoughtfully. Buddy came over and set the toy in Chloe’s lap without letting go. Chloe scratched between his ears while she thought. She glanced over at Max. She still hadn’t had any more panic attacks, but she’d seemed kind of down the past couple of days. Or not as lively, anyway.

Max turned her head and Chloe looked up quickly. “Any ideas?” Max asked.

“Stabby.” Max sighed, but Chloe heard the tap of the stylus that meant she was typing in the name. Buddy started to whine, so Chloe took the dog toy and threw it again and Buddy ran to retrieve it. “Are you sure you don’t wanna go see the movie today?” It was Sunday and Max’s dad had offered to take them.

Max shook her head, still looking at the screen. “Yeah, I’d prefer to stay home and relax with everyone.” Her mom was home too, but was currently answering work emails. Her dad was in the kitchen preparing for dinner while also making lunch. Chloe’s mouth started watering just thinking about his cooking.

“Alright, lazy day it is,” Chloe hummed. She stood up and pressed her finger lightly against Max’s forehead. “C’mon, come play with your dog.”

Max leaned back to get away from Chloe’s poke. “Lemme save and put this in the house.”

Chloe went back to running around the yard with the dog. Max got up a minute later and entered the house. Chloe played with Buddy for several minutes before noticing that Max hadn’t returned. She went in the house after her, leaving Buddy outside. She walked down the hall and stopped in the kitchen, where Ryan was cooking.

“Hey, did you see Max?” The smell of the food being made caused Chloe’s stomach to growl and her mouth began watering again.

Max’s dad looked up from his work to turn to her. “Oh, I think I heard her go upstairs.” Chloe nodded and before she could leave, Ryan continued. “Is she doing okay?” he said quietly.

“Yeah,” Chloe replied. “I think she’s just been a bit fatigued.”

Ryan nodded. “Are you sure you’re okay driving her tomorrow? I can take a half day.” Max’s parents had scheduled a psychiatrist appointment for her, which Chloe volunteered to drive her to and from. 

Chloe waved a hand. “It’s no problem. I’m happy to help.” Truthfully, she was anxious about the appointment. She didn’t know how it would go and wanted to be there for Max after. 

“Well thank you again. I’ll leave you gas money in the morning.” He sighed heavily. “I’m just glad that her old doctor was available on such short notice.” Chloe was glad too. That way they could skip most of the introductions and get right into things.

“I’m gonna go find Max,” Chloe said, poking her thumb out over her shoulder.

Max’s dad nodded. “Let her and her mother know that lunch is about done.”

“Will do!” Chloe continued making her way through the house, going up the stairs and stopping at the door to Max’s room. “Hey Max.” She opened the partially shut door to find Max curled up on her bed. She made no indication that she had heard Chloe. “Max?” she tried again. Max remained still aside from the steady movement from breathing.

Chloe left, closing the door behind her. She stood in the hallway with her hands on her hips and closed her eyes. “Goddammit,” she whispered. 

\

Max slept until late afternoon. She got up and ate leftovers from lunch before going back into her room to listen to music and play her game. Chloe sat against the bed, browsing on her computer and listening to music with one headphone. Every now and then, Max would lean over wordlessly and hand Chloe her 3DS so she could name a new Pokemon. 

They spent the evening like that until dinner. Max was barely responsive and didn’t eat much. After she’d finished, she went back to the game and music. Chloe was getting frustrated with Max’s zombie state, but kept reminding herself to be patient and to just stay close for when Max did need her.

“I’m gonna go to bed,” Max finally said around 11. It was a bit early for them, but not surprising after the rest of the day.

“Sounds like a plan.” Chloe got up and set her laptop on the desk. They had established a rule of facing away from each other while they changed into their sleep clothes. Chloe normally wouldn’t care about changing in front of friends, but it felt weird with Max. She knew why, but continued ignoring it.

They changed and got in bed. Max slept against the wall and curled up facing away from Chloe. That wasn’t unusual but it felt colder tonight. Chloe laid on her back to stare at the ceiling. She wasn’t sleepy but she still felt tired, like her body was heavier. 

It was quiet. The only sounds were a light wind outside and the girls’ breathing. Max’s parents went to bed around 10 to be up for work, so there was no noise coming from within the house. Moonlight filtered into the room, dimly illuminating everything. Chloe had made a habit of looking at individual items in the room and counting them to make herself sleepy.

“Chloe.” Max’s voice was quiet but the sudden sound made Chloe jump slightly. She’d been counting for a few minutes and was starting to doze off.

“Yeah, what’s up? You okay?” Chloe rolled onto her side to look at Max.

“I’m fine.” Max paused, still facing away from her.

“Okay. Whatcha need?”

Max hesitated again before answering. “Can you go somewhere else tonight?” Even laying down, Chloe felt her stomach drop. She opened her mouth to reply but her brain had gone blank. “I wanna be alone right now.”

Chloe’s thoughts caught up with her and she stammered. “Y-yeah. Yeah I can...sleep in the guest room.” She laid there for a few more seconds to see if Max would reply, but the brunette was silent. Chloe rolled out of bed and left the room wordlessly.

“It’s fine,” she thought to herself. “She just needs some space.” She walked down the stairs and made her way to the guest room. She sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. Her hands were shaking and her teeth were chattering. “Calm down,” she whispered to the empty room. “It’s fine.” The guest room was quiet and Chloe could hear her teeth. She clenched them hard, but started grinding them. “Fuck this, I need a smoke.”

Chloe marched out of the room and down the hall. Her jacket was hanging by the door and had her cigarettes and lighter in the pocket. She hadn’t smoked since last Saturday, but kept them close in case of times like this. She put on her jacket and headed towards the back door, sticking a cigarette between her lips on the way.

Chloe opened the door and stepped into the cold fall night. She shivered, the jacket doing little to help, especially since she was still in her boxer shorts that she wore to bed. Her hands trembled as she lit the cigarette. She inhaled deeply, watching the embers creep along the paper. The smoke burned and filled her lungs, remaining there for a second before she released it into the air. Her shoulders relaxed as the smoke was carried away by the slight breeze.

A small orchestra of crickets played as Chloe walked around the yard. She wandered in circles, eventually making her way to the large tree at the back of the yard. She leaned against it as she smoked, the cigarette now over half gone. “Everything’s fine,” she thought.

As she stood there, Max’s words echoed in Chloe’s mind. ‘Can you go somewhere else?’ They still stung, even when just remembered. “She didn’t mean it. She’s just having a bad day,” Chloe said under her breath with an exhale of smoke.

“Maybe she’s realizing she made the wrong choice.”

Chloe’s hand froze in midair. The voice was in her own head, but surprised her nonetheless. “No, Max wouldn’t-” she thought.

“You really think you’re worth the lives of all those people?” 

Chloe shut her eyes firmly, trying to push the voice away. “It was Max’s decision.” Her heart was racing and her fingers clawed against her legs. “It’s not our fault the universe dealt a shit hand.”

“They’d all be alive if it weren’t for you. You could have been with Rachel again.”

“SHUT UP!” Her voice cut through the quiet night. Chloe dropped to the ground in a crouch, clutching her head. The cigarette fell into the grass, smoldering against the dirt. Tears started streaming down her face. “I couldn’t save her,” she wailed. “I couldn’t save anyone. Why am I even here?” Sobs choked her voice. “Max probably hates me. It’s my fault...”

A dog in the neighborhood had started barking, probably alerted by Chloe’s shout. She sat against the tree crying, shaking from the cold and grief. “I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I’m sorry...” 

“Chloe?” The voice startled her and Chloe’s head jerked up to see Max’s dad standing in front of her. “Are you okay?”

She wiped at her face and sniffed several times. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” Chloe looked up at him again. In the faint moonlight, she could see the concerned expression he wore. In that moment, she saw her own father’s worried face. Her composure broke and tears came back to her eyes. Chloe shook her head and dropped her head. “No, I’m not okay.”

Chloe heard movement and when she looked up, Ryan was sitting in the grass in front of her. “What’s wrong?” He noticed her shivering and took off his jacket to drape it over her legs.

“Thanks,” Chloe said hoarsely. She sniffed hard and coughed, trying to steady herself enough to talk. “How’d you know I was out here?”

“I’m kind of a light sleeper and heard you yelling.”

“Oh. Sorry...”

“You’re fine. So what’s going on?”

Chloe sifted through her thoughts, trying to decide where to start. “Max kicked me out...”

“Of her room?” Chloe nodded. “How come?”

“She said she needed to be alone. Which is fine, I just...” She paused, not sure how to explain a freakout over something so simple. Ryan waited for her to continue. She kept telling herself that she was just worried about Max, wanting to be there for her. But she knew the real reason was more selfish. Now seemed as good a time as ever to face the fact. Chloe met Ryan’s eyes. “I think I...like her more than just as a friend...”

His expression didn’t change much and Max’s dad nodded. “I had a feeling.”

Chloe gave him a confused look. “What? How?”

“It’s clear that you really care for her. And not like how you were as kids.”

“And that’s...you’re okay with that?”

Ryan smiled. “Like I said, you obviously care deeply for her.”

Chloe felt her face turn hot. She realized that she had stopped crying. “Well thanks. But...I don’t know if it matters.”

Max’s dad frowned. “Why’s that?”

Chloe stopped again to sort her thoughts, trying to make sure she didn’t reveal too much. “I...I dunno. I might be reminding her of Arcadia. She might...hate me.”

Ryan stared at her for a moment before reaching out, placing his large hand on her shoulder. “She might have trouble being around you if that is the case.” Chloe’s heart plummeted. “But, I know my daughter. There’s no way she hates you. She just needs time, and some space.”

It might not have been exactly what she wanted to hear, but Chloe knew he was right and felt better. She smiled weakly to show it. “Thanks, Mr. Caulfield.”

Max’s dad drew back and frowned. “Since when do you call me Mr. Caulfield? It’s Ryan.”

Chloe chuckled. “Got it.”

“I hope I helped at least a bit. Sorry that I can’t offer more substantial advice.”

“Oh, no, you’re fine. I do feel better, thank you.”

“Any time. And, if it helps,” he said with a grin. “When you two were younger, Max asked us if two girls could get married.”

Chloe felt an immediate wave of heat rush to her face. “O-oh, um. That’s...uh.” 

Ryan laughed and patted her shoulder. “Come on inside. You must be freezing.”

Chloe nodded, her whole body shaking from the cold. “I’ll be in in just a second.”

“Alright,” he said as he stood up. “Just don’t light another one. I’d prefer my jacket not smell like smoke.”

“Right...” They didn’t even scold her about it directly but Chloe still felt ashamed that Max’s parents knew she smoked. Ryan walked back into the house, leaving Chloe alone with her thoughts. She took a deep breath. “There’s nothing I can do to change things.” Her mind went to Rachel, just as it always did. “She’s gone. They’re gone. But I’m here.” She started to cry again but fought against it. “I’ve just gotta keep moving forward.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this one in mind for a while and I'm glad I finally got to it. Was and wasn't looking forward to it. Sorry it's a bit short but I want to get something out for y'all! Enjoy~


	7. We Need to Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max have some much needed conversations.

Lightning pierced the sky and thunder roared from the black clouds. The wind threatened to knock Chloe over as it threw stinging raindrops against her skin. She watched in horror as the giant tornado tore through the ocean and approached Arcadia Bay. 

“Chloe...” She heard Max’s voice and turned to see her standing next to her. “I’m so, so sorry...I...I don’t want to do this.” Max walked forward and put her arms around Chloe in a tight hug.

“I know, I’m sorry too. There’s nothing we can do, Max.” She wanted to do something to save everyone, but what could they do against a giant storm?

They parted and Max stood there for a moment staring at Chloe. Her eyes were desperate and sad. It looked like she was crying, but Chloe couldn’t tell from the rain.

“You’re my hero Max.” Chloe heard her own voice, but she hadn’t said anything. Max didn’t break eye contact with Chloe as she slowly stepped forward and placed her hands on the sides of Chloe’s head. Her face was close and she was leaning in. “Max what are you...” 

And Max kissed her. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky as Chloe tasted the salty rain water on Max’s lips. It was slow and passionate, more intense than any kiss Chloe had ever had before. As they separated, Chloe looked into Max’s eyes and saw the same sad look. 

Chloe felt herself take several steps back away from her. “Don’t you forget about me.” Chloe heard her voice again, an echo in her head. “Why would she forget about me?”

“Never,” Max said, her voice wavering. Chloe noticed a photo in Max’s hand. She caught a glimpse of a blue butterfly. Max turned away from her and looked down at the photo.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Max didn’t reply. Chloe could hear another faint voice in her head now. “Max, are you...no, wait!” She tried to move but her body didn’t respond. The voice was louder and Chloe could almost make out what it was saying. “Max! I don’t wanna go, please! I love you!”

“Chloe!”

Chloe woke up with a jolt, her arms flailing out and hitting the horn on her steering wheel. She looked around as she tried to catch her breath. She was sitting in her truck in a parking lot. Max was in the passenger seat next to her. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Y-yeah...” Chloe’s heart was racing and her body was shaking. “Just a dream...” She slowly came back to reality. “How was it?” She’d been waiting outside for Max to finish with her therapy appointment. “How do you feel?”

Max slowly nodded. “It was...good. We didn’t get to everything, obviously, since it’s just the first day. But I feel a bit better.” She smiled and it seemed genuine, which was rare for her lately.

“Good. I’m really proud of you for accepting help, Max.” Chloe leaned over and hugged Max. Her mind flashed back to the dream and her stomach clenched. “You know I’m always here for you, right?”

They pulled apart and Max smiled again. “I know. Thanks.”

Chloe smiled weakly and tried to push the dream out of her mind, looking straight ahead at the steering wheel. “Let’s get some grub, shall we? I’m starving.”

\

Lunch consisted of fast food burgers that the girls ate on their drive home. Max scolded Chloe for eating while driving. They returned to the Caulfield residence and both changed into more comfortable sweatpants. Chloe stretched out on the couch and turned on the TV, flipping through channels before settling on an action movie. After a few minutes, Max appeared, looking thoughtful.

“You okay?” Chloe asked.

Max wordlessly walked over and took the remote, muting the exploding cars. She lifted Chloe’s legs and slid in under them, then turned to face Chloe. “How are you doing?”

Chloe frowned, cocking her head to the side. “I’m fine. Why, do I not seem like it?”

Max looked down and shook her head. “It’s been over a week since everything happened and I...I haven’t even bothered to check on you.” She gripped the fabric of Chloe’s pants. “I’ve been so selfish...”

Chloe felt a stab in her gut. She was going to tell Max it was fine, that she didn’t need to worry, but before she did, Chloe realized that Max was right. Chloe was actively pushing away her own problems to take care of Max, but Max wasn’t returning the favor.

Chloe took her legs off of Max and sat up. She moved over to put her arm around Max. “Maybe just a bit.” She felt Max shrink. “But I’m not upset about it.”

Max sniffed as though she was about to cry. “How can you not be mad at me? I haven’t considered your feelings at all, even though you’ve been so attentive to mine.” Her voice cracked and she sniffed harder.

“Max, I can’t even begin to understand what you went through or what you’re feeling. Being here for you is the least I can do. You saved my life, Max. I give you the right to be a bit selfish while you get better.”

“That’s not fair, though!” Max pulled away and turned to face Chloe. She really was crying now. “You’re my best friend and you went through Hell too! I don’t get a free pass to ignore you just because I got weird powers. For fucks sake, I haven’t even asked how you’re feeling about Rachel!” Chloe recoiled and shut her eyes tight for a second. “See, now I’m being an asshole,” Max sobbed. “Just...be a little mad at me, at least.”

Chloe looked at her best friend, the girl she’d known since childhood, who she’d come to accept that she liked as more than friends. Max was right and if it was anyone else, Chloe would be angry. But Max wasn’t just anyone. She couldn’t be mad at the crying mess of a girl that sat in front of her. 

“No. Max, you’re right, but I’m not mad. I just can’t be. I’d like to think I’ve matured or something, but I would be pissed if it was anyone else.” She rested her hands on Max’s. “But not you. You...you make me want to be better. I don’t want to be mad at you. I just want to make sure you’re alright.” Max still looked upset, like she didn’t accept that. “Here, why don’t we try something. At the end of the day, before we go to bed, we tell each other how we felt that day. If there was anything bothering us, anything we need to talk about. And no slacking. No skipping a day, no ‘I was fine.’ We should be honest and open with each other.” Chloe held up a pinky finger. “Deal?”

Max choked on a laugh and tried to smile. She linked her own pinky with Chloe’s. “Deal.”

Chloe threw her arms around Max to hug her. “But if you wanna make it up to me, you can go grab us snacks.”

\

After they’d finished heckling the movie, Max realized that she should call Kate. She went up to her room so she wouldn’t bother Chloe. This reminded Chloe that she hadn’t called her mother all week. She grabbed her phone and went outside to sit in her truck for the call.

After a few rings, the line connected. “Hey sweetheart.” Chloe hadn’t realized how much she missed hearing her mother’s accent.

“Hi mom. How are things going?”

Joyce sighed. “Well we’ve settled in at David’s parents’ house at least. They’ve been very hospitable, but David still seems less than thrilled. Speaking of which, have you called your grandparents? You know how much your father’s mother worries about you.”

“Shit, no. I’ll call them all after I get off the phone with you.”

“Be sure to watch your language with them,” her mother chided. “So how have you been? Not giving Vanessa and Ryan too much trouble I hope?”

“Excuse you, I’ve been on my best behavior,” Chloe said, sarcastically offended. “They love me.”

“Uh-huh. I’ll be sure to confirm that with Vanessa later.”

Chloe smiled. “I love you, mom. I miss you.”

There was a pause, like Joyce was processing her daughter actually being nice for once. “I miss you too, sweetie. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just weird going this long without seeing you. Max and I are doing okay. I think we’re both still trying to get back to normal. But we’ll be fine. We’ve got each other.”

“I’m glad to hear that. And I’m glad you girls are there for one another. I knew sending you along with Max was the right choice.”

Chloe laughed. “You are usually right.” As she thought about Max, Chloe had a thought. Her stomach tightened with stress, but she took a deep breath and steeled herself. “Hey, there’s actually something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Of course. What’s up, sweetie?”

Chloe paused to gather her thoughts. She’d never actually gauged her mother’s opinion on the matter, but she didn’t seem the type to care. “So...I’ve been friends with Max for a long time. She’s my best friend, and I care about her a lot.”

“Uh-huh?”

“Well...I’ve kind of been thinking...about how much I care for her.” Chloe’s heart was pounding. It was one thing to blurt it out in an emotional fit, but now that she was picking her words carefully, it was even harder. “I um...I think...so you know...the posters of girls I had in my room?”

“Chloe.”

“Yeah?”

“Honey, you can tell me anything. I will always love you, no matter what.” Her mother’s voice was soft and sweet.

Chloe sighed. She knew she was being obvious. Her mother clearly got the message. “I think I like Max. Like...in a...dating way.”

Joyce was silent again for several seconds. “I love you, and I’m so happy you felt like you could tell me.” Chloe exhaled a breath she’d been holding and smiled. “You know, I’d always had a feeling. Did you...” Her mother hesitated. “Did you feel that way about...Rachel?” she asked gently. Chloe shut her eyes tightly as her stomach clenched again. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate.”

“No, it’s...I’m dealing with it. Um...yeah. Yeah, I...I loved Rachel. But...this is different, I think. I think with Rachel, I latched onto her out of desperation. I...I’m not really sure what my feelings for her actually were anymore.” 

Chloe stopped to regain her train of thought. “But Max is...she’s my best friend. She’s sweet and kindhearted, she’s so smart and talented, she’s funny in a smartass kind of way, which suits me. And she’s always there for me...” Chloe found herself grinning as she spoke. “And she’s so beautiful...I could get lost in her eyes.” Chloe suddenly remembered she was talking to her mother. She was a preteen the last time she’d talked to her mother about crushes. She was embarrassed by how much she’d been gushing. “Oh God. You talk, please.”

Joyce chuckled. “I don’t think you need to say ‘I think I like her’ anymore. You sound pretty certain. I’m guessing she doesn’t know?”

“No. At least, I don’t think so. We’ve had more important things to worry about. I did...I had a rough night yesterday.”

“What happened?”

“I overreacted, but I was freaking out over something. Max’s dad talked to me and I...kinda came out to him during my fit.”

“How’d that go?” Her mother sounded somewhat defensive, like she was preparing herself if she needed to yell at Ryan.

“He also kind of noticed...Fuck, am I that obvious?”

“He took it okay though?”

“Yeah. He seemed to think I had a chance, but that Max still needed time to recover.”

“Mmm. I’d have to agree. You girls went through a lot. I’d give it some time, wait til you’re both back to normal.”

“Yeah...” Chloe knew they were right. She hadn’t intended to confess anytime soon, but it was still reassuring to hear sensible advice. She smiled again. “Thanks, mom”

“Of course, sweetheart. And just so you know, in case you were worried, David was the one who first noticed that you seemed to feel something stronger than friendship for Rachel. I think it was partly why he worried. He didn’t want your feelings for her to cloud your judgment and get you in trouble.”

“So he was...okay with it?”

“With you liking a girl, yes. But I won’t tell him until you give the okay.”

“Right. Thanks.”

“Speaking of David, I gotta get going. We’re going to dinner with his parents.”

“But it’s four o’clock?”

Joyce sighed. “I know.” Chloe laughed. “I’ll talk to you later, sweetie. Love you.”

“Love you too, mom.”

\

Max and Chloe spent the rest of the day playing one of the Final Fantasy games in Max’s room. At dinner, Max’s parents asked about therapy. Max seemed to be in a much better mood than the day before. After a while, they all wound down for the night. Before going to bed, Max and Chloe sat on the floor of Max’s room, facing each other.

“You wanna go first?” Chloe asked.

Max shook her head. “I talked about myself a lot today. You first.”

“Mkay. Well, let’s see. I had a nice talk with my mom that made me feel better. I’m happy that therapy seems like it’ll help you. Uhh during our talk earlier, I was...I dunno, I just felt bad that you were so worried about me.”

“Of course I worry, Chloe. Do you know how many times I had to save your ass with my powers?”

Chloe chuckled, but the remark made her think of her dream that morning. “Actually, I kinda want to talk about that.”

“About what? My powers?”

Chloe nodded. “First off, do you still have them? Have you tried using them?”

Max shook her head. “That day in the diner bathroom, I tried to rewind and couldn’t.” She held up her hand and concentrated, but nothing seemed to happen. “Yeah, seems like they’re gone.”

Chloe felt a small sense of relief. “That’s probably for the best.” She took a deep breath. “So when I was asleep in my truck, I had a bad dream.”

“Yeah, you seemed pretty rattled by it.”

“It was...I dunno, it felt like I was there but I had no control over myself. Like I was just watching it happen.”

“Watching what happen?”

“The storm.” Chloe saw Max visibly tense up, but she remained calm. “We were on the cliff watching it but...it was different.”

“How so?”

“We said different things and you...” Chloe almost spilled about the kiss but caught herself. “You uh...you had the photo.”

“Which one?”

“The butterfly one. From the bathroom. Sorry, are you okay to talk about this?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” Max assured her.

“I think...I think maybe you were going to go back to that moment and let-” Chloe stopped herself. “And change things.”

Realization came over Max’s face and she had a look of horror. “Chloe no, I’d never-”

“I know, I know. But...I dunno. I think we had the idea that it would stop the storm somehow.”

Max shook her head but considered it for a moment. “There’s no way we could be sure. It might have come anyway. Chloe.” Max leaned forward and grabbed Chloe’s hands. “There’s no way I could have handled this if I’d lost you too.”

Chloe was trying not to cry at this point. “Max, I...I’ve been wondering this for a while. When you look at me, do you see Arcadia?” Tears started streaming down her face. “Do you hate me? For being alive while all those people died? Because sometimes I do.” Chloe was openly sobbing now. She’d been holding it in for over a week and everything came pouring out now.

Max threw her arms around Chloe and hugged her tight. “Chloe, of course I don’t hate you. You are the most important person in the world to me. I couldn’t imagine my life without you.” Chloe was crying into Max’s shoulder and could hear Max’s voice cracking too. “Chloe, I think about Arcadia a lot. I dream about it almost every night.” Max’s voice was quiet and solemn. “But I don’t think of it when I look at you. I think of how lucky I am to have you here for me.”

Chloe composed herself enough to talk. “Can I be selfish now?” she asked hoarsely.

“Go for it,” Max said.

“Please don’t leave me...” Chloe returned the hug and squeezed Max. “First my dad, then Rachel...I don’t know what I’d do if you left too.” She started to cry again.

Max tightened her hold on Chloe. “I promise I won’t leave. And...I’m sorry for last night.”

They separated and Chloe wiped at her face. “Last night?”

“I didn’t mean to be so harsh. I was feeling really down and wanted some space, but...I hurt you, didn’t I?”

“Maybe a bit...” Chloe admitted quietly. “Just let me know if you need some alone time. I know I’m clingy, so I understand if you get sick of me.”

“I’d never be sick of you,” Max said with a smile. “But I’ll be nicer about asking for me time in the future.”

Chloe nodded. “Alright, your turn,” she said with a laugh.

Max started laughing too. “I dunno if we can handle more of this.”

Chloe poked her shoulder. “C’mon, we made a deal. No slacking.”

“I shared with you earlier and at dinner. I think that’s sufficient. And I think we could both use some sleep.”

She wasn’t wrong but Chloe still pouted. “You get off this once, Caulfield.” 

“Just this time.” They sat there for a few seconds before Max leaned forward to hug Chloe again. “Thank you for talking to me.”

“Back at ya.” They stood up and stretched and yawned. “Alright, I’m gonna go hit the hay,” Chloe said. She started to leave the room but Max grabbed her wrist. 

Chloe looked back to see Max’s face illuminated by the moonlight, her expression slightly desperate. “I meant it when I said that I would tell you when I need to be alone.”

Chloe smiled. “Right.” She turned as Max released her, walking towards the bed. Max got under the covers first to sleep against the wall, followed by Chloe. They settled in and went still. “Good night, Max.”

“Night, Chloe.”

Chloe stared up at the ceiling like usual, but her heavy eyes soon closed and she started to drift to sleep. As she did, she felt Max move. Suddenly, there was a weight on her chest. Chloe opened her eyes to see Max with her head on her chest and an arm around her. Chloe pulled her arm out from under Max to wrap it around her. Chloe sighed happily. Since reuniting with Max, she’d felt flustered or stressed any time she was in a situation like this. But this time she just felt warm, and happy, and safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang, a lot of talking in this one! Hopefully you all like it though. I actually got a bit of inspiration from a webcomic that I binge-read called Always Human. It's really really pretty and diverse and adorable and there's lots of good relationship stuff. I highly recommend it! 
> 
> I have good news or bad news, depending on how much you like my writing. I sat down and roughly planned out the rest of the fic and there are like eleven more chapters to go. I may end this fic earlier and resume in a new one, but I'm not sure at this point. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you lovelies are having a nice day!


	8. Anthology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short glimpses into Max and Chloe's daily lives.

\ Homework /

“Uuuuggh, I hate maaaaath.” Max headbutted the notebook on her desk in frustration. 

“Want me to just do it for you?” Chloe teased as she relaxed on Max’s bed.

Max raised her middle finger at Chloe. “I can’t just let you do it. Come show me how to do it myself,” she demanded.

“Yes ma’am,” Chloe replied sarcastically. She left the bed to crouch beside Max. “See, right here...”

Max’s dad had started bringing homework for Max so she wouldn’t be lost when she went back to school in January. Max had been hesitant about returning to school, but Chloe insisted she not be a dropout too, especially with only one semester left. Max was keeping up and doing well with all of the subjects, even ones she hated.

“And that’s it. Got it?” Chloe asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Thanks.”

“It’s what I’m here for.” Chloe got up just to flop back onto the bed.

“Hey, Chlo?”

“Hm?”

“Have you considered going back to finish school?”

Chloe sat up to look at Max. “Kind of. I’m gonna work on getting my GED while you’re finishing school.”

“Really? That’s awesome!”

Chloe scratched the back of her head, embarrassed of getting praised for something she considered so minor. “Eh, it’s no big deal. I’m just worried about taking the SAT.”

“Don’t remind me. My dad said he’s gonna get prep books for me.”

“Hey, you want to get into a good college right?”

Max groaned. “Yeah, yeah. What about you? Are you gonna go to college?”

“Actually I uh, I’m hoping to get into whatever college you go to,” Chloe said as her face turned red.

“That’d be so rad! We could be roommates!”

“Exactly! Assuming you’re not sick of my smelly feet yet.” Chloe lifted her leg and prodded Max’s shoulder with her toe.

“Ew! Knock it off!” Max said, laughing. Chloe continued tormenting Max until she turned and raised her own foot to fight back. The girls laughed as they engaged in the foot war, which served as a welcome break from homework.

 

\ Color /

“Ow, dude, you’re pulling too much,” Chloe complained.

“Sorry, I’ve never done this before.” Max was in the process of applying hair dye to Chloe’s hair. They were sitting in the upstairs bathroom with old towels covering the floor.

“It’s fine. Just try not to pull so hard. Are you getting it evenly coated?”

“I think so. Do you want the mirror?”

“Nah, I trust you. This is still way better than having to do it myself. You should’ve seen how awful it looked the first time I tried it. It was like four different shades of blue and there were blonde spots all over.”

“Well don’t blame me if it looks that way after I’m done.”

“Who else would I blame?” Chloe teased. Max tugged slightly at her hair. “Ow, fine. You’re so mean to me. Remember that you’re at my mercy next.” Max had decided to try dyeing her hair as well, adding red streaks to her brown hair.

“So you’ve always done blue? How long has it been dyed?”

Chloe thought back to the days when she was so easily influenced by Rachel. “Siiiiince I was seventeen? Eighteen? I don’t remember. I just know that Rachel convinced me to dye it.”

“Wait, she didn’t help you do it?”

“I was trying to surprise her. Lemme tell ya, she was certainly surprised. I don’t think I’d ever seen her laugh that hard.” Chloe smiled, remembering Rachel’s reaction the first time she saw Chloe’s horrible dye job. “She fixed it for me though.” Chloe thought about recent events and her stomach clenched. “I haven’t touched it up since she...”

There was a pause before Max chimed in. “Well I’m glad you decided to stick with blue. It suits you.”

“Yeah. It used to, oh God I just realized how emo this sounds. I chose blue because I was sad and thought it was fitting.”

“Wooow.”

“Shut up.”

“So why stick with it? You don’t seem so sad anymore.”

Chloe smiled. She had to agree that she felt a lot happier than she had in a while. She tilted her head back to look up at Max. “Because it was blue when you came back into my life.”

She went back to looking straight ahead, away from Max. “Wow, Chloe, might as well just confess your love for her now. Jesus, that was cheesy,” she thought. But as she mentally kicked herself, she felt Max press herself against Chloe’s back. Max’s arms came around to hug Chloe’s neck carefully.

“I like you blue,” Max said, her voice quiet and gentle.

Chloe felt some tension leave her body, even though her heart was still racing. “I like me blue, too.”

 

\ Fort /

The sound of rain beating against the house was punctuated by the occasional rumble of thunder as Max and Chloe sat under a blanket acting as the roof to their pillow fort. Max was hunched over with her arms around her knees and shaking.

“You’re okay, Max. Nothing can get us in our fortress, right?” Chloe was desperately trying to keep Max calm. The thunderstorm had started not long ago. At the first crack of thunder, Max had jumped a foot off of the couch. Chloe could tell she was going to start panicking so she went with the first idea she had, which was a pillow fort. It had helped the two girls when they were upset as kids, so Chloe hoped it would work now.

“Max? You with me?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” Max replied quietly. She looked up from staring blankly at the floor and took a deep breath. “I’m okay.” Despite what she said, Max was still visibly shaking. Chloe reached out tentatively, pausing to make sure her touch wouldn’t disturb Max. She seemed fine so Chloe rested her hand on Max’s shoulder.

“Hey, I have an idea. Wanna try truth or dare?” Chloe was still racking her brain for ideas. “Just like when we were kids. It’ll help you take your mind off of it.”

Max unfolded herself, shifting to sit cross-legged like Chloe. “Sure,” she said with a weak smile. “You first.”

“Alright. Truth or dare?” Chloe couldn’t believe she was playing this at her age.

“Truth.”

“Did you have a thing for Warren?” Chloe asked mischievously. She’d always wondered how Max actually felt about the guy.

Max shrugged. “Not really. He was nice and dorky, but honestly not my type.”

“What is your type?”

“One question at a time,” Max said with a smirk. Chloe stuck her tongue out at her. “Ms. Price, truth or dare?”

“Hmmmm. Truth.”

“Lame.”

“You picked truth!”

“I know I’m lame. You’re supposed to be more interesting.”

“Whatever, just ask me a question.”

“Mmmkay.” Max thought for a moment. Before she could ask anything, a loud crack of thunder interrupted. She jumped and her eyes went wide with panic.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re safe,” Chloe assured her.

Max took a deep breath and settled herself. She looked up at Chloe, her expression somewhat sad. “Why are you handling things so much better?”

That stabbed at Chloe’s heart. She hated seeing Max so sad and vulnerable. Chloe shrugged. “I dunno, Max. Honestly I don’t think I’m handling everything well.”

“But you’re not a mess like me.”

Chloe reached out and brushed Max’s bangs out of her face. “You’re not a mess. You’re recovering. Everyone’s different. Your healing process isn’t worse or better than mine. You have to go at your own pace.”

Max still looked sad but smiled a bit. “Right. Sorry, didn’t mean to get so heavy.”

“It’s okay. But it is my turn.” Chloe tried to perk up and change the mood. “Truth or dare?” she asked eagerly.

“Alright, dare.”

“I dare you to snag a bottle of wine!”

“Chloe, no.”

“What? C’mon, you have to.”

“Do you remember what happened the last time we tried that? We spilled it everywhere in your living room and both got in so much trouble.”

“Yeah, but that’s when we were kids. We’re adults now!”

“No.” Max stared Chloe down sternly.

Chloe fake pouted. “Fine. Spoil sport. Dare for me too, then. I’ll just refuse whatever it is.”

Max paused to think again. After a moment she looked up at Chloe seriously. “I dare you to kiss me.”

Chloe’s heart leapt into her throat. “What?”

“You heard me. You dared me before, now let’s see if you have the guts to do it.” Max seemed completely serious. “Or you can chicken out and prove that I’m better,” she said smugly.

Chloe raised her eyebrows. “Oh, that’s it. C’mere, Caulfield.” She leaned forward and grabbed Max’s head. She swallowed hard as her nerve started to leave her, but she pulled Max closer and pressed her lips to Max’s. It wasn’t a good kiss. Chloe basically smashed her mouth against Max’s, just trying to prove a point.

Chloe released Max and glared at her. “There.” She tried to sound confident but she was still shaking. “What now?” she taunted.

Max massaged her mouth and looked at Chloe with distaste. “You’re really bad at kissing.”

“You didn’t say it had to be a good one!”

Max smiled and laughed. Another rumble of thunder shook the walls, but Max only flinched a little this time. “Hey, I do feel better,” she remarked.

Chloe smiled, glad that her dumb ideas worked. “Good. I’m gonna grab some snacks.” She began wiggling her way out of the small fort.

“No wine!” Max called after her.

 

\ Ashes /

Chloe watched the glowing embers slowly reduce her cigarette to ash. She was sitting in her truck in the Caulfields’ driveway. She had the radio on, playing a local rock station. She was smoking slowly, enjoying her last cigarette. It was the last of the pack she’d bought the week of the storm. She’d decided that once the pack was gone, she would quit smoking. Music filled the cabin of her truck and Chloe let her mind wander.

She reunited with Max on that Monday. She’d tried to shake down Nathan for cash, which didn’t work out so well. She could’ve died. Max saved her that day. Literally and figuratively. Chloe was so happy to see Max again, to be around her and talk and laugh and dance, just like they’d done as kids. She almost died again on Tuesday. Chloe seemed to be good at almost dying, only surviving because Max could rewind to save her. 

That was also the day that Kate had tried to kill herself. Chloe understood that feeling. She’d considered ending her own life countless times, but always resisted. If nothing else, she couldn’t do that to her mother after she’d already lost her husband.

Chloe pushed those thoughts out of her mind and thought of that night, when she and Max broke into the Blackwell pool. She still couldn’t think of any better word to describe it than magical. She felt it even more now that she’d accepted her crush on Max. The memory of swimming around and talking with Max in the glow of the pool’s lights was one she’d always cherish. Even if they did get busted by security.

The next morning was another fond memory. Lying in the morning sun with Max in her bed, Chloe had never felt so at peace. At that time, she was just starting to develop feelings for Max. Chloe hadn’t been sure what she was feeling, but she knew she was happy. It was a pure, innocent moment of tranquility. 

Then she dared Max to kiss her. Even as it came out of her mouth, Chloe didn’t know what she was saying. It surprised her, but not as much as Max actually going for it. She’d jumped back as a mixture of excitement and fear bounced around inside of her.  
Looking back, Chloe wished that she hadn’t been so scared of her own feelings. If she’d committed, there probably wouldn’t be the uncertainty she felt now.

The rest of that day was a blur. All she really remembered was the morning. But the next day was one she’d never forget. The Dark Room and Rachel. It was the second worst day of Chloe’s life, only topped by the day her father died. She could remember certain things crystal clearly, like the drive between the barn and the junkyard. The fear she felt during that drive was vivid in her mind. But most of the day was a jumble of negative emotions. Chloe figured that was because her mind was trying to repress it all.

Then Friday. The storm. Chloe couldn’t remember anything but that awful swirling cloud of destruction as it engulfed the city where she’d spent her whole life. The only other thing that stood out was Max, standing on the cliff with her. Chloe suddenly felt like it was symbolic. As her old life was being destroyed, there was Max, the person she cared about the most. When she came back into her life that week, Chloe felt the desire to ask Max to run away with her and leave their lives behind. Then the storm came along and granted that wish.

Chloe felt guilty as she thought that, but couldn’t deny that it was true. She looked down at her cigarette, which was nearly gone. She took a deep breath and watched what little there was disappear. She exhaled the smoke and watched it float around her truck, slowly fading into the air.

She took the butt of the cigarette out of her mouth and dropped it in the ash tray, which she’d emptied the night before. She stared at the lone stump for a moment before closing her eyes. Chloe tried to focus all of her guilt and grief from that week into it, relaxing her muscles as she did. She opened her eyes and closed the ash tray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't have any one story that felt substantial enough to be its own chapter, so I thought this might be a fun trial. Let me know if you like this and I may do it again later down the road. The next chapter may take me a while to get just right, so I apologize in advance. But I have already started on it!
> 
> As always, I hope you liked it and hope you have a nice day~


	9. Gamble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe spend the afternoon in the city.

“Chloe, look at this one!”

Chloe paused, staring at the image in front of her. “Pretty flower,” she remarked. Max and Chloe were walking through a gallery of photographs, admiring the artists’ works. At least Max was.

“It’s a lily,” Max corrected.

“Well it’s ‘lily’ pretty.”

Max sighed at the pun. “I hate you sometimes.”

Chloe grinned, pleased with her stupid joke. “Nah, you know you love me.”

Max’s parents had found the event through their social circles and suggested the two girls go. They’d been getting a little stir crazy, not having much to do around the house. It was early afternoon on a Sunday in November. The weather had started to cool down even more, which Chloe loved and Max hated.

The pair continued their perusal of the photos. The event wasn’t too busy, but there were enough people around to create a quiet hum of overlapping voices as the guests’ whispers echoed around the spacious halls.

Max stopped at a black and white picture of a figure silhouetted against the sun. They looked like they were in a field, their arms outstretched.

“Not the most original, but it’s really well shot,” Max commented.

“Yeah, the uh, aperture and exposure are really...advanced.” Chloe said sarcastically.

Max prodded her with her elbow. “C’mon, at least try to enjoy yourself. I promise we won’t stay long.”

“Right. Sorry. Ooh, what about that one?” Chloe pointed to one on the other side of the hall, a colorful sunrise over mountains. She liked the colors and had always loved mountain horizons.

They crossed over to get a better look. As they did, Chloe paused to let a man walk by. Max must not have seen him on the other side of Chloe. She stepped forward and caused him to bump into her.

“Ow, sorry,” Max said.

“Watch it,” the man snapped.

“I said so-”

“What the fuck did you just say?” Chloe stared the guy down, feeling her blood rising.

“She walked right into me,” he said, trying to defend himself. He wasn’t a large man and seemed slightly frightened by Chloe.

“Yeah, and she said sorry.”

“Chloe, it’s fine. Keep your voice down!” Max stepped between her and the stranger. Chloe didn’t break eye contact with him, but in her peripheral vision she could see that every other guest was turned to look at the scene unfolding.

“Apologize,” she demanded.

“I’m sorry, jeez,” he said. He had taken a step back and had his hands up defensively, still looking scared.

“Chloe, c’mon.” Chloe looked down at Max finally, who was looking up at her pleadingly. 

Chloe glanced at the man and snorted. “Fine.”

Max breathed a sigh of relief. She placed her hands on Chloe’s arms, guiding her in the opposite direction. Chloe breathed heavily, trying to keep her temper down. As they walked away, Chloe heard one voice distinctly whisper “What a bitch.”

She spun on her heel and stomped back towards the small crowds. “Who the fuck said that!?” she yelled. Her voice echoed down the hall and the onlookers all looked at her in fear. She had her fists clenched tightly at her sides as she stared them all down. 

A hand grabbed her wrist and tugged. “Chloe!” Max hissed. Chloe stood her ground for another moment, waiting to see if anyone would step up. She felt Max’s fingers writhe their way between hers until they were holding hands. Chloe could feel Max’s hand trembling in hers. She regained some composure and turned to look at Max, who had an expression of fear.

Chloe’s rage was suddenly replaced by guilt for scaring Max. She loosened the tight grip she had on Max’s hand. “Sorry,” she said. She began walking again, now hand in hand with Max.

“You were just trying to defend me,” Max said, her voice wavering. 

Chloe shook her head, avoiding eye contact with Max. “I know I’m an asshole. I’m trying to get better.”

Max squeezed Chloe’s hand. “I know you are. And I know you won’t change overnight.”

“Don’t make excuses for me.”

“I’m not! Just...you’re okay.” 

They continued walking in silence until they reached the lobby. A security guard was standing by the entrance, watching them with his arms folded. As they approached, Max told him “We’re sorry. We’re leaving.” She tugged at Chloe’s hand and led her out the door. On the sidewalk outside, Max let out a long breath.

“I wasn’t going to pick a fight with a guard, you know.”

Max looked at Chloe with disbelief. “You don’t have the best track record with authority,” she countered.

“Whatever. Where to now?”

Max released Chloe’s hand to wrap her arms around herself, shivering from the cold. “I dunno. Let’s think about it on the way back to your truck.”

\

“Are you serious?”

“What? It’ll be fun.”

Chloe stared out her windshield at the building that Max had directed her to: the Seattle Aquarium. She looked over at Max, who was smiling innocently at her.

“C’mon, give it a chance.”

“First an art gallery, then an aquarium? You realize I used to hang out in a junkyard, right? I’m not very sophisticated.”

“Maybe I’m trying to civilize you,” Max said sarcastically.

Chloe snorted. “Good luck.”

“C’mooooon,” Max pleaded.

“Alright, alright.” The pair got out of the truck and made their way inside the building. They stood in line to buy passes and as they did, Chloe saw the prices on the wall behind the desk. “Jesus Christ, that is expensive.”

“It’s fine. I texted my mom to ask if it was okay for us to come and she said it was alright.”

“Still.” They reached the front of the line and paid the entrance fee with Max’s parents’ credit card. They were given stickers to wear with the date on them. “Do I seriously have to wear a sticker?” Chloe complained.

“Yes.” Max peeled hers off, but instead of putting it on herself, she slapped it onto Chloe’s shoulder. “There.”

Chloe retaliated by sticking hers in the center of Max’s chest, just below her shirt collar. “There,” she said, sticking out her tongue as well.

Max giggled. “Alright, where to first?”

“Sharks.”

Max rolled her eyes. “Of course. C’mon.”

\

Almost two hours later, the girls decided to call it. They were both getting hungry and refused to pay for overpriced food at the aquarium. The crowds were thinning because it was nearing closing time.

“Just one more stop, then we can go.” Max had been taking pictures the entire time and Chloe assumed there was a special exhibit that she wanted to get some good shots of.

“Fooooood,” Chloe moaned, zombie-like. Max bumped her shoulder into Chloe’s arm. “Fine, fine. One more.” Chloe was actually having a pretty good time. She liked watching Max take pictures. It was Max’s passion, so when she got in the zone, she looked especially beautiful to Chloe. 

“This way. Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“It’s a surprise. It’ll be cool.”

Chloe sighed. “Fine.” She did as she was told and closed her eyes. 

“No peeking.” Max grabbed Chloe’s hand and led her towards their destination. She’d been holding Chloe’s hand on and off all afternoon. Every time, Chloe felt her heart flutter. Now she was even more excited, curious to see what Max had in store.

Chloe awkwardly walked as she kept her eyes tightly shut. “Are we there yet?” she asked jokingly. Max ignored her as they continued.

“Careful, there’s a step.” Max helped Chloe slowly step up, but she still tripped a little.

“What fish is this exciting?” Chloe thought, a little annoyed. She took a deep breath. “Max seems excited about it. Don’t be a dick.”

“Okay,” Max said as they stopped a minute later. “Open your eyes.”

Chloe did and was suddenly glad for the surprise. They were standing in a large domed room underneath a huge tank that surrounded them. The room itself had no lights, which made it somewhat dark, but there were lights in or above the tanks that lit up the water and the fish inside. Chloe was amazed, watching the fish swim above her.

“Holy shit,” Chloe said. She slapped her hand to her mouth and looked around for kids. She’d already been scolded by Max once today for swearing near children. But they were alone in the room.

“Isn’t it awesome?” Max said happily.

Chloe looked over at her and saw the expression of pure delight as Max looked around the room. “It’s beautiful,” Chloe said quietly.

They started walking around the room to watch all the different sea creatures that swam around them. There were benches that were very close to the glass and the girls sat down and lounged, tired from all their walking.

“Look at that one!” Chloe pointed to a brightly colored fish.

“Over there!” Max pointed to a weird looking creature near the aquarium floor.

After a couple of minutes of this, Chloe realized something. “Hey, you’re not taking pictures.”

Max smiled. “I wanted this to just be for us.”

Chloe returned the smile and they both turned back to look at the fish. As she watched, Chloe suddenly had a thought and she felt like her heart stopped. “Wait,” she thought. “Is this...a date?”

\

That evening, as she tried to sleep, Chloe laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind raced as she thought about her time with Max.

“Okay,” she thought. “Let’s go over the facts. I dared Max to kiss me, and she did. Then Max dared me to kiss her. But that could’ve just been playful retaliation. She does hold my hand a lot...but maybe it just helps her feel comfortable in public.” Max moved against Chloe’s chest as she slept, causing Chloe to flinch. “And she cuddles me in her sleep. But maybe it’s like...a teddy bear sort of thing.”

Max groaned and twitched, possibly indicating a bad dream. Chloe reflexively rubbed Max’s back. “Shh. You’re alright,” she whispered. Max tightened her hold on Chloe, but went back to her peaceful state. Chloe shook her head. 

“If she liked me, why wouldn’t she say something?” Chloe thought. “Although...I guess I haven’t said anything either.” She was still rubbing Max’s back when her hand accidentally slipped under her shirt. Her fingers brushed against Max’s skin and caused her to pause. She carefully ran her fingers across Max’s bare back. “Her skin is so smooth...”

After a few seconds, Chloe snapped back to attention and pulled her hand away. “Don’t be a pervert,” she told herself. She pressed her hands against her eyes. “Uggh, what is wrong with me?” She shifted under Max’s weight so that her legs were out and her feet touched the floor. She carefully lifted Max’s arm and began to pull away, but lost her balance and fell on the floor with a thud.

“Chloe?” Max asked sleepily as she propped herself up.

“Sorry, I just need a drink,” she whispered.

Max groaned and dropped back onto the bed. Chloe stood up and left the room. She felt something soft brush against her leg and looked down to see Buddy slipping out of the doorway with her. He trotted down the stairs ahead of her and turned the corner as he reached the bottom floor. Chloe followed him to the back door, undoing the locks to open it and let the dog into the back yard.

Chloe stood by the door, waiting for Buddy to go about his business. She shivered and her teeth chattered. “Stupid cold,” she muttered angrily, wishing she had a cigarette. After a minute, Buddy came running back and Chloe opened the door for him. She relocked the door and made her way down the hall, ducking into the kitchen and turning on the light.

Buddy followed Chloe around the kitchen as she searched for a snack. After some rummaging, Chloe settled on an apple and sat down at the table. The golden retriever set his head on Chloe’s lap and stared at her sadly. “Dude, it’s an apple. You’re not a horse. Even if you weigh as much as one.” She stared off into space as she chewed. 

“What do you think, Buddy? Does Max like me?” The dog began to wag his tail. “Don’t lie. You just like it when I say your name.” He continued staring at her. “I’m going crazy,” Chloe said.

She just couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been something about today. Max had been so eager to be out with Chloe, then wanted to surprise her with a cool exhibit. “I wanted this to just be for us.” She thought about Max smiling at her as she said that and Chloe’s heart fluttered.

“Maybe...she does?” Chloe said quietly. Buddy suddenly snatched the forgotten apple out of her hand and began to walk away with it. “Buddy, no!”

\

After wrestling the apple away from the dog, Chloe returned to bed. She prodded Max awake enough to move over. As soon as she laid down, Max went back to hugging Chloe and using her as a pillow. They settled in and Chloe pushed her thoughts away so she could get to sleep.

“Everything okay?” Max’s voice startled Chloe, thinking she was asleep already. Max lifted her head to look at her, her eyes only half open.

“Yeah, I’m-” Chloe realized that her face was about three inches away from Max’s. “I’m...fine.”

“You sure? You sound frazzled.” Max blinked and opened her eyes wider. Chloe’s heart raced as her brain struggled to make a decision. Her eyes darted between Max’s eyes and her lips. “Chloe?” Max asked.

“Fuck it.” She meant to say it in her head but the words came out of Chloe’s mouth as she leaned forward and kissed Max.

Almost immediately, Max pulled back and stared at Chloe, confused. “What...”

Chloe’s heart dropped and a wave of panic rushed through her. “Shit,” she thought. Max had moved back to stare at Chloe, allowing Chloe to freely move. She flung the covers off of herself and stood up quickly. “I’m sorry,” she said as she choked on her words. She hurried out of the room, too embarrassed to look at Max.

Chloe rushed to be as far from Max as possible, nearly tripping on the stairs in her haste. She went to the guest bedroom, locking the door as she entered. She stood there with her shaking hand on the doorknob, breathing raggedly. She shut her eyes and rested her head against the door, feeling like she was going to puke. 

Chloe waited at the door, listening to see if Max would follow her. After a minute of silence, she walked over to the bed and fell onto it, burying her face in the pillow. “You fucking idiot,” she thought as she started to cry. “You just ruined everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the best at procrastinating. It is me. I hope I did the Seattle Aquarium justice. I just used the pictures from the website and my experience with museums. Hopefully the next chapter will be done in less than two months....Anyway, thanks for reading and being patient <3


	10. Outcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe faces the results of her actions.

“Chloe?” Max’s mother called after a knock at the door. “Breakfast.”

Chloe groaned as she slowly woke up. Her head hurt and she felt like shit. She rolled over to look at the ceiling as the events of the previous night flooded into her mind. She remembered crying herself to sleep. Chloe moved an arm to cover her eyes. _What did you do, you fucking moron?_ she asked herself.

She looked around for her phone before realizing that it was in Max’s room. She gathered the energy to get out of bed and walked to the door. Chloe paused as she placed her hand on the doorknob. _Max will be out there,_ she thought. _There’s no way of avoiding her. Just...deal with the consequences like an adult._ She took a deep breath and opened the door.

The kitchen was fully inhabited when she got there. Max and her parents were at the table with Buddy sitting on the floor next to Max. Upon seeing Chloe, he trotted over to her and stood there wagging his tail. She smiled and scratched his head. “Hey boy.”

The Caulfields had been talking quietly and only noticed Chloe after she spoke up. “Good morning, dear,” Vanessa said cheerfully.

“Mornin’,” Chloe replied. She looked at Max, whose attention was focused on her pancakes. Her heart sank a little, but she sat down across from Max anyway. Chloe started in on her pile of pancakes as Buddy came over to rest his head on her lap. 

The air felt heavy and no one spoke for a minute. Ryan broke the silence. “Chloe, I’m taking the afternoon off, so don’t worry about driving Max to her appointment.” 

_So they were talking about me._ Her face felt hot from embarrassment. “Oh...okay,” she replied.

“I’m actually going with my dad today to talk to them about next semester.” Max finally looked up at Chloe and smiled weakly. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

Chloe had started to despair that Max was avoiding her all day, but there was something in her voice and smile that gave Chloe some hope that things would be alright.

\

After breakfast, Max and her parents left, leaving Chloe alone. She put on a movie to try distracting herself. A short while in, her mind started wandering. _Max doesn’t want to talk about it, but she’s going to eventually,_ Chloe thought. _She’ll tell me we’re just friends but things will always be awkward now because you’re a fucking dumbass._ She groaned loudly and slid onto the floor from where she’d been sitting on the couch. 

Chloe huddled into the fetal position and was about to start crying when something wet pressed against her arm. She lifted her head to see Buddy sitting next to her. With her face now visible, he licked her cheek. “Gah, Buddy, c’mon,” she complained, but laughed a little at the same time. She stared at the golden retriever, happily wagging his tail. “You’re a good dog, huh?” she said as she scratched his head.

“You’re right, I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself.” Chloe stood up and turned off the movie. “There’s no way of knowing how Max feels until she tells me, so until then, I’m not gonna worry about it.” She looked down at Buddy, who was staring up at her. “Easier said than done, huh?” He cocked his head slightly. “Why am I having a conversation with a dog?”

\

Chloe decided that getting out of the house would be best and went to explore the city a little on her own. She drove out of the suburbs and into Seattle proper, looking for a part of the city that seemed cool. A flashy sign for a music store caught her eye, so she found parking and walked to the shop.

Inside, the small store had walls that were lined with posters, vinyl records, T shirts, and even some guitars. There were rows of displays with CDs and records, as well as several shelves around the edges of the store with other merch. Rock music from a band Chloe didn’t recognize played through speakers in the ceiling, just loud enough to clearly make out lyrics. 

“Welcome to The Beat.” A bored sounding voice came from beside her. Chloe turned to see a guy around her age leaning on the checkout counter, flipping through a magazine. He had short blood red hair and several ear piercings. “Let us know if you need help finding anything.” 

“Zack, c’mon. At least give it a little effort.” A girl was towards the back of the store at a display, presumably organizing. She stopped to walk to the front where Chloe was standing. “Hi! I’m Jess. Were you looking for anything in particular?” The girl had beautifully smooth dark skin and black curly hair that was pulled back into a ponytail.

_She’s really pretty._ “Oh, um,” she stammered. “No, I was just browsing.”

“Alright, well let us-” She emphasized the last word, glaring at her coworker. “-know if you need anything.” There were no other customers in the store, so Jess went back to organizing CDs.

Chloe started wandering around, browsing the selections they offered. They had very small sections for certain genres like gospel and country. Most of the store was various types of rock music. Eventually she found a CD that caught her eye. “Holy shit, when did Firewalk put out a new album?” she exclaimed a little too loudly.

“Last month,” Jess answered from an aisle over. “Big fan?”

“Fuck yes. When I was sixteen, I talked my way into a concert they were having at an abandoned lumber mill.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I got into a fight with these two sleazeballs and got a black eye. It was kind of awesome.” Chloe remembered that night vividly because Rachel happened to be there and saved her from said sleazeballs. 

“Damn, that sounds intense.” Jess was watching her with fascination.

“I’ve done worse.” Zack managed to mumble the words even though it was loud enough for them to hear.

“Don’t make me come over there,” Jess threatened. “Ignore him. He doesn’t people well.”

“Why put him on the register then?”

“See!?” he yelled.

“Practice makes perfect!” Jess shouted in return.

Chloe couldn’t help but laugh at the pair of them. “So is it just you two?”

“Right now it is. There are four other employees, one of which is the owner.”

“Is everyone as cool as you?”

Jess put a hand to her heart. “I’m so honored that someone thinks I’m cool. Yeah, everyone’s pretty chill. Why, you want a job?”

Chloe hadn’t even considered that as a possibility. “What? Uh. Maybe?”

Jess laughed. “Well you certainly seem cool enough. Love your hair, by the way.”

Chloe blushed a little. “Oh, thanks. You’re really pretty.” She felt her face turn extremely hot. “I mean-”

Jess just smiled. “Well thank you. You’re very pretty yourself. What’s your name?”

“Chloe.”

“Well, Chloe.” Jess reached over a display to extend a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Chloe shook her hand. “Yeah, nice to meet you.”

\

Chloe bought the Firewalk CD and another one before leaving and promising Jess that she’d come back another time. She drove back to the Caulfield house, listening to her new music on the way. For a little while, she completely forgot about what had happened the night before. 

She got home and entered the house. As she shut the door, a voice came from upstairs. “Chloe?”

Chloe froze for a second before pulling out her phone. _Shit, I was gone longer than I expected,_ she realized. Max was already home.

Max appeared at the top of the stairs in her comfy clothes. She came downstairs, followed closely by Buddy. “Where’d you get off to?” she asked when she reached the floor.

“Just went into the city for a bit. I got bored sitting around by myself. Where’s your dad?” 

“He had to go back to work for a bit.”

“Ah.” Max walked into the living room and Chloe followed. “I might get a job.”

“Really? That’d be awesome.” 

Max sat down on the couch, so Chloe moved to occupy the chair. Before she could sit down, Buddy jumped up and blocked her. Chloe glared at the dog, who thumped his tail on the armrest. _Smart little fucker._ She sat down on the opposite end of the couch. “Yeah, I was in this music store and the gal asked if I wanted a job,” she explained.

“A music store would be perfect for you,” Max said excitedly. She was actually making eye contact and holding a conversation, which Chloe hadn’t expected. It wasn’t awkward, which was weird.

“I dunno. Maybe once you start school.”

“Why wait?”

“Because...” Chloe stopped, unable to come up with an excuse. “Max.”

“Hm?”

“I...” Chloe looked down at her hands. “I’m sorry. About last night. That was out of line and I shouldn’t have-”

Before she could finish, Chloe felt the couch shift and suddenly Max was right in front of her. Chloe looked up just as Max leaned in and kissed her. Chloe was surprised but didn’t pull away. Time seemed to stop and she absorbed the details of the moment. Max’s warm, soft lips, the scent of her lavender shampoo, the breath from her nose brushing against Chloe’s skin. 

The moment ended eventually and Max pulled her lips away. She stayed sitting directly in front of Chloe, staring intently into her eyes. “It’s okay.” Chloe couldn’t gather her words, so she let Max continue. “I was half asleep and didn’t know what was happening, but I still should have come after you. But I...I wanted time to think things over.”

“Right,” Chloe managed.

“I can’t lie and say I haven’t been thinking the same thing for a while now. I just...wasn’t totally sure. But after last night, I went to talk to my therapist about it. To try and make a decision.”

Chloe swallowed hard. “And? What did you decide?”

Max laughed. “I think that should be obvious.”

Chloe’s heart swelled and her body felt warm. “Really?”

Max nodded. “Yeah. I want to give it a try. Give us a try. As long as you still want to.”

Chloe’s face widened into a huge smile. “Yes! Of course, yes!” She flung herself forward to hug Max. “Wait,” she said as she pulled back. “What exactly do you mean?”

“Like, dating?”

“Okay, just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

Max laughed again. “Dork.”

Chloe grinned. “Yeah, but now I’m your dork.” 

\

“You ready?” Max asked.

Chloe nodded nervously. “Uh-huh.” They were standing in Max’s room, about to go down for dinner.

“Are you sure? We can wait and tell them.”

Chloe shook her head. “No, I don’t want to keep it from them. Besides, your dad supported me when I told him I had feelings for you.”

“Wait, you told my dad?”

“I was having an emotional breakdown, okay? He was comforting me.”

Max chuckled. “That sounds like him.” She looked up at Chloe, who was still shaking. Max stretched up and kissed Chloe. “It’ll be fine,” she assured her.

“Yeah.” Chloe took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go.”

The girls walked downstairs and went to the kitchen. Max’s parents were sitting at the table, already eating delivery pizza. “Dig in, kiddos,” Max’s dad told them.

“Mom, dad. We need to talk to you.” Max sounded serious, which caused looks of concern from both of her parents. “It’s good! Don’t look so worried.” 

They relaxed a bit, but still seemed confused. Max stood there quietly, trying to find her words. After several seconds of silence, Chloe lightly took Max’s hand. “You can do it,” she encouraged. Max slid her fingers between Chloe’s and held on firmly. 

Max nodded and took a breath. “Mom, dad. Chloe and I are dating.”

Max’s parents didn’t react for a second. They looked at each other, then back to the girls. Finally, they both smiled and stood to hug them. “Oh, I’m so happy for you girls,” Max’s mom said.

“It’s about time, really,” Max’s dad joked. 

Vanessa smacked his shoulder. “Ryan!”

He laughed, and so did Max and Chloe. Chloe noticed that Max had started crying. She put her arm around her and kissed the top of Max’s head. “See? Nothing to worry about.” 

Max elbowed her gently. “You were the one who was worried.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We’re just so glad you felt comfortable to tell us,” Vanessa said, hugging her husband.

“Not like we were going to be able to hide it very well,” Chloe said jokingly. Max elbowed her again. “Okay, mushy stuff aside, I’m starving.”

“So this is a new development?” Max’s dad asked as they all sat down. He and Vanessa deliberately moved to sit next to each other so that Max and Chloe were sitting beside each other.

“Today, yeah,” Max replied. “That was kind of why I came with you today, dad. To think about it by myself.”

Ryan nodded while taking a bite of pizza. “I thought you seemed odd today,” he mumbled, mouth full.

“Were you really worried about telling us?” Vanessa asked, almost sounding a little hurt.

“I...I dunno,” Max said. “You just...never know. I know you guys are accepting of everyone, but some parents aren’t so open to the idea when it’s their kid.”

“Honey, when we say we love you no matter what, we mean it.” Her mom reached over to place a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Nothing will ever change that.” Max nodded, sniffling as she started to tear up again.

“And I’m not exactly the kind of girl you bring home to meet the parents,” Chloe added. “I’m just worried about...being good enough, I guess.”

“Chloe, you’re like a second daughter to us,” Max’s dad said. “If it was going to be anyone, we’re happy it’s you.”

Chloe was relieved to hear that, but she also couldn’t resist making a comment. “Wouldn’t that be incest?” she remarked. 

“Oh my God.” Max put her hand to her face in disgust, but her dad laughed.

“At least there won’t be any in-breeding,” he joked.

“Ryan!” his wife scolded. 

Max stood and started leaving as Chloe laughed. “What did I get myself into?” Max muttered.

“No take backs!” Chloe called after her.

\

The family finished eating and eventually it was time for bed. After getting ready to go to sleep, Chloe stopped and stood by Max’s door. Max got into bed and looked at her expectantly. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s just...we’re dating now.”

“Yeah?”

“I mean...should we be sleeping together already?”

“Oh my God, Chloe.”

“What! I’m serious!”

“Chloe, we’ve been sleeping together for like a month. Why does it matter now?”

“I dunno, just...it won’t make you uncomfortable?”

Max stared at her for a second before pulling back the bed sheets and patting the mattress. “I need my pillow.”

Chloe chuckled. “Alright, alright.” She crossed the room and got into bed. Max took her place resting on Chloe’s chest and Chloe put her arm around Max. “Night, Max.”

“Chloe?”

“Yeah?”

Max lifted her head to look up at Chloe. “I’m really happy.”

Chloe smiled. She leaned down and kissed her girlfriend. “I am too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT, AN UPDATE SO SOON? IT'S A MIRACLE. Honestly I really wanted to get to this chapter so I cranked it out in one day. Also hey, guess who's dumb and didn't realize you can use italics on this site? So I'll be using that from now on to indicate thinking. Sorry for any confusion that caused in the past.
> 
> If anyone is concerned at all about it, I absolutely do not write infidelity (cheating), so no worries about that being an issue with Jess. She's just very pretty and Chloe is real gay. 
> 
> Don't get used to the quick update. To be honest I haven't given the next chapter much thought yet so it may be a little while, sorry. But it will be fluffy! Anyway, thank you for reading! You're all lovely <3


	11. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max visit Kate and Warren.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t just take my truck,” Chloe complained.

Chloe and Max were sitting on a bus that was taking them from Seattle to Portland.

“Because you literally got it from a junkyard.” Max was playing her 3DS while cuddled up next to Chloe. “Name.”

Chloe looked over at the screen. “What the hell is that? Some kind of slime monster?”

“Yeah, I dunno. I think it’s a Dragon type somehow?”

“Gumby.”

“Like the green stretchy guy?”

“Wasn’t he blue?”

“Definitely green.”

“Whatever. Name it Gumby.” Max shook her head disapprovingly but typed in the name anyway. “Anyway, you’ve never complained about my truck before this.”

“Well normally we only drive a few miles and we’re in the city. If it breaks down, we can get help a lot easier than if we’re out on a desolate stretch of highway.”

“What about when we drove from Arcadia?”

“We didn’t have many options at that point, did we?”

Chloe snorted. “There’s nothing wrong with my truck. It’s perfectly safe.”

Max stretched up and kissed Chloe on the cheek. “Sorry, Chlo, but I disagree.”

Chloe knew Max was probably right, but was annoyed all the same. She stared out the window and watched the scenery go by. After a few minutes, she began to drift off to sleep.

“Chlo.” Max’s voice was quiet, but woke Chloe up.

“Yeah?”

“That guy’s been staring at us for a while.”

Chloe looked around until she met eyes with a man sitting a row up in a seat that faced the aisle. He had a mostly gray beard and wore a grouchy expression as he stared back at Chloe. “What!?” Chloe yelled at him.

He seemed surprised but kept up the unpleasant face. “You two should act more decent while in public.”

“Excuse me?” Chloe could already feel her blood boiling.

“Two girls shouldn’t be kissing each other in public. If you wanna sin, keep it to yourself.”

Chloe was a little stunned. She’d never actually been confronted about her sexuality before. “You-”

“How about you mind your own fucking business?” Chloe was shocked when she realized that had come from Max. She looked over to see Max’s face twisted in anger and could feel her body trembling.

“What did you just say to me you-” The man started to stand but another person stood up from the seat in front of theirs to move between them.

It was a rather large man wearing a leather jacket that had a biker club design on the back. “I think you should get off at the next stop, sir,” he said calmly, but with a deep booming voice. Chloe could barely see around the biker but after a tense moment, she saw the other man return to his seat.

“Look, I just don’t think they should be so vulgar in public,” said the first guy. The biker ignored him, looking straight ahead. “Hey, c’mon man, I have the right to speak my mind.” The biker continued to ignore him.

The next stop was only a minute away. The man continued to try and talk to the biker during this time, but he continued to silently stare ahead. Max was still shaking so Chloe wrapped an arm around her to try and calm her. Eventually, the bus rolled to a stop and the biker finally acknowledged the man, looking at him and simply saying, “Off.”

The man scoffed. “Whatever. Fuck you, man.” Defeated and clearly scared of confronting the biker, he stood and got off of the bus.

The biker visibly relaxed as soon as the other guy was gone. He turned and sat down where the other man had been before. He smiled at the girls from beneath a big, bushy gray beard. “You ladies alright?”

Max nodded. “Yeah,” Chloe said. “Thanks.”

“Bah.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Not a problem. What’s the point of being a big tough looking guy if I don’t defend people from assholes?” Chloe and Max laughed. “Name’s Bill. Who’re you lovely girls?”

“I’m Chloe.”

“Max.”

“Chloe and Max. Max and Chloe. Got a good ring to it, dontcha think?”

“Yeah. I think we go together pretty well,” Max said. Chloe kissed Max on the top of her head.

Bill continued smiling at them. He reminded Chloe of a mall Santa. “Where you girls headed?”

“Portland,” Chloe answered.

“Oh-ho, quite the trip. What’s in Portland?”

“We’re going to see our friends!” Max said excitedly. They were meeting Kate and Warren in Portland to spend the day with them.

“Well I hope you girls have a great time. I’ll leave ya alone now.”

“Thank you again, sir,” Max told him.

Bill chuckled. “You’re very welcome.”

Max had closed her game during the commotion and reopened it now. Chloe noticed that Max wasn’t shaking anymore. “Sorry I got mad,” Max said quietly.

Chloe looked at her with confusion. “What are you apologizing for? I get mad all the time.”

“Yeah but...I dunno. I feel like I made things worse.”

“Trust me, they would’ve been much worse if I’d said what I wanted to.”

They sat quietly for a moment while Max played her game. “Sometimes I just get mad at myself for not being more assertive,” Max finally said.

“Well that’s what I’m here for.”

Max looked up at her and frowned. “But what if you’re not around?”

“Like when?”

“Chloe, we can’t spend every moment together.”

“Okay, but like, when?”

“School? What if somebody tries to start shit when I go back to school?”

“Just ignore them.”

“Really? You would just ignore them?”

“No, but. Look. Don’t be like me. Ever. I’ve gotten myself into so much trouble because I’m an asshole.”

“You’re not-”

“Yes I am. You don’t want to be like me. You’re sweet and kind and people like you.”

Max looked back down at her game. “Victoria never liked me.”

“Victoria has a flagpole up her ass and hates everyone, including herself. Don’t worry about her.”

“But it’s high school. She’s not the only one like that. What if-”

Chloe grabbed Max’s face and looked into her eyes. “You just be you. If people at school give you shit, I will come beat them up. I can’t get expelled if I don’t go there.”

“Chloe, you’re 19.” Max’s words were distorted slightly from her cheeks being squished together. “You’ll just get arrested.”

“Worth it.” Max laughed and Chloe smiled at her silly squished face. She leaned in and kissed her before letting go. Max went back to her game and Chloe rested her head on top of Max’s so she could try and nap. After a few minutes of listening to the hum of the bus, Chloe fell asleep.

\

“Chloe?”

Chloe eyes slowly opened to reveal a bright blue sky. “Huh?”

“Did you hear me?” Chloe turned her head to see Rachel lying beside her in the bed of her truck.

“Sorry, I think I dozed off.”

“I said, where should we go first when we visit Portland?” Rachel stared softly at Chloe, a faint smile playing at her lips.

“I dunno. I haven’t done any research yet to find out what’s cool.”

Rachel sat up and crossed her legs, facing Chloe. “I suppose wandering the city can be fun too.”

Chloe propped herself up on one arm. “As long as we’re together, I’ll be happy wherever we end up.”

Rachel smiled and leaned down so that her face was close to Chloe’s. “Agreed.” She brushed hair out of Chloe’s face, then kissed her.

\

“Chloe, we’re here.”

Chloe snorted as she snapped awake. At some point she’d shifted so that her face was pressed against the glass of the window. She peeled her cheek away and rubbed it as she looked around sleepily. “Where is here again?”

“The bus station in Portland.” Max prodded her in the shoulder. “C’mon, we gotta get off.” Chloe grumbled but stood and followed Max off of the bus and into the cold December air. Max shivered when a gust of wind came through. “Let’s wait inside.”

They entered the building and took two seats out of the many that populated the interior. There were about a dozen people in the station going about their days while they waited. Max pulled her phone out of her pocket and fidgeted with it. “Kate says they should be here in about ten minutes.”

“Cool.” They sat quietly while Max browsed through her phone. Chloe scratched her head, thinking. After a minute, she decided to express her worries. “Hey, Max.”

“What’s up?”

“Are you...so you know that guy on the bus earlier?”

Max’s face dropped a little. “Yeah?”

“You don’t think...Kate won’t be like that, right?”

Max looked down at her hands and was silent for a moment. “I don’t know.”

“I mean, you said she’s really nice.”

“Nice doesn’t always mean tolerant.”

“It never came up while you were around her?”

“No. I never really thought to ask, either.”

Chloe sighed and scratched her head again. “I guess we hope for the best, huh?”

Max nodded. “Yeah.”

“And Warren?”

“No idea about him, either. Though I think maybe he kinda realized there was something between you and me?”

“He’s probably fantasized about it,” Chloe said with a smirk.

Max elbowed her in the side. “You be nice! He’s a good guy.”

“Ow! Jeez. I’m just kidding. I got nothing against the guy, but I could tell that he was really into you. I mean, who wouldn’t be?” Chloe leaned over to kiss Max, but she drew back. Max had an uncomfortable expression. “What’s wrong, babe?”

Max shook her head. “I just...that guy kinda got to me.”

Chloe’s heart sank. _Wish I could tear that bastard a new one._ “Hey, it’s okay. Not everyone’s like that. Most people don’t give half a shit about what other people are doing. See?” She gestured at the statue-like passengers around them. “Everyone’s too self-absorbed.”

Max hugged herself and shrank in her seat a bit. “I know, but...I’m just...scared.”

Chloe gritted her teeth, angry at the society they lived in that caused Max to be afraid to be herself. She stood abruptly and looked around the room. “Hey!” she shouted. All but one person turned to look at her. “This is my girlfriend! We’re dating! If anyone has a fucking problem with that, come say it to my face!” The people all continued to stare, but no one moved or said anything. Chloe felt a strong tug at her sleeve and looked down.

“Sit. Down.” Max’s voice was stern as she glared at Chloe.

Chloe obeyed and returned to her seat. “See? No one cares. Or no one wants to fuck with me. Either way-”

“What’s wrong with you?”

A chill ran through Chloe’s body. “What?”

“Why would you do that? I told you I was scared of people seeing us in public and you completely ignored me.”

“I just- I was trying to reassure you...”

“Why would that reassure me?”

“I...I dunno. Because I’m not scared of people. I’ll always be there to keep you safe.”

“That’s not the point!” Chloe felt like a dog that had torn up the rug. She’d never seen Max get so upset with her. If it was anyone else, Chloe would get angry in response, but she could see Max’s eyes begin to water and felt terrible.

“I’m sorry...”

Max shut her eyes and took several deep breaths, calming herself. “I know you were trying to help in your own way. Just...I need you to understand what I’m saying.”

“Yeah, I get it. I shouldn’t have done that. Sorry...”

Max wiped at her eyes. “You can’t just confront every problem with aggression, Chloe. You’re not invincible. I don’t...” Max grabbed Chloe’s hand gently and met her eyes. “I can’t see you get hurt anymore,” she said pleadingly.

Chloe remembered that Max had watched her get shot on multiple occasions. She couldn’t imagine the pain of watching Max die, even if she could bring her back. Chloe squeezed Max’s hand and nodded. “Alright. I get it. We’ll cut down on the PDA for now.”

Max smiled sadly. “Sorry.”

Chloe withdrew her hand and shrugged. “I’ll just make up for it at home.” Chloe’s eyes went wide as the words left her mouth. She realized how that sounded and hadn’t meant to come on so strongly. “Uhh-”

Max raised her eyebrows, but before she could say anything, someone yelled “Max!” Chloe turned to see Kate walking briskly towards them, with Warren following behind.

“Hey!” Max stood as Kate reached them and hugged her. “It’s so good to see you!”

Warren leisurely walked up to join the group. “Hey Chloe.”

“Yo.”

The other girls parted and turned to Chloe. Kate hesitated, but hugged Chloe as well. “Oh, okay,” Chloe muttered.

They separated and Kate looked around at the group. “Let’s get going, shall we?” she asked excitedly.

They exited the station and piled into Warren’s car, with Kate in the front and Max and Chloe in the back. “So how was the trip over here?” Kate asked.

“Uhh-” Chloe started.

“It was fine,” Max interrupted. “There was a really nice guy on the bus who talked with us a bit.”

“Good. Glad it wasn’t too bad.”

“How are you liking Seattle?” Warren asked.

“It’s alright. We don’t get out too often,” Chloe replied. “I found this hella cool music store, though. The employees are all awesome.”

“And I used to live in Seattle, so I’m used to it,” Max said.

“How about you guys? How’s it feel to be back at home?” Chloe asked.

“My mom’s been stressing over school,” Warren said. “She’s worried I’ll have to take summer classes and be set back a semester.”

“What does one semester matter?”

“It matters to her. She has my entire college career planned out already.”

“Yikes,” Chloe said, but Warren just shrugged. “What about you, Kate?”

“Oh, my parents aren’t that strict about school. They’ve actually been pretty laid back ever since I came home.”

Chloe wondered if they were easing up because Kate almost jumped off of the school’s roof, but thought better of asking. “Good. I was worried they’d have a problem with you coming out today,” Max said.

“Oh, they did. But I convinced them to let me go.”

“It’s because I was such a fine, upstanding gentleman,” Warren boasted.

“Though they were worried we were secretly going on a date,” Kate said with a slight chuckle. Chloe tried to picture the two of them together and had to stop herself from laughing.

“Here we are,” Warren said. The car pulled into the small parking lot of a cafe. They parked and made their way inside. The interior smelled like cinnamon and was nice and warm to contrast the cold weather. A hostess seated them in a corner booth and gave them menus before walking away to give them time to order.

“God, I am starving,” Chloe said. She hungrily looked over the choices, trying to narrow down her options.

“Ooh, they have teas!” Kate said happily.

“I haven’t had tea since we left Arcadia,” Max said. The comment was met with silence and Chloe thought she saw Kate flinch at the town’s mention.

After a few minutes, the waitress came and took the group’s order. Once she left, Warren broke the silence. “So, Kate said you had something to tell us.” He looked expectantly at Max and Chloe.

Chloe suddenly felt like a deer in headlights and looked at Max, who shrugged. “Right to it, huh?” Chloe muttered.

“Sorry, we’ve both been curious all day about what it could be,” Kate said.

“Not a problem,” Max said. She was smiling but Chloe could see the worry in her face as well. She felt Max’s hand grab hers under the table. Chloe squeezed it and heard Max take a deep breath. “Well...Chloe and I...we’re...”

Warren suddenly clapped his hands together. “I knew it! They are dating! You owe me ten bucks!” he said to Kate.

“I never said I was betting,” Kate replied. “And they didn’t say that. Let her finish her sentence.”

Chloe and Max were both a bit shocked by Warren’s reaction. They looked at each other and started laughing. “No, he won that bet,” Chloe chuckled. “We are dating.”

Warren seemed satisfied, but Kate was looking back and forth between the girls. Chloe couldn’t read her face and began to worry. “That’s great!” she finally said with a clap of her hands. “I’m so happy for you two!”

“You don’t...have a problem with that?” Max asked.

“Of course not! Oh, you mean because- No, I’m not one of those people.” The distaste in her voice at ‘those people’ amused Chloe. “There’s nothing wrong with loving someone.”

Chloe smiled and looked at Max, who was smiling at her as well. They leaned in for a quick kiss. “No,” Max said. “There certainly isn’t.”

\

After they’d finished eating, the group left the café and started towards their next destination: a Chinese garden. They arrived and entered, paying admission on their way in. Once outside in the gardens, Chloe was astonished at how beautiful it was, even in the winter. There was a fresh layer of snow covering everything but the water, which hadn’t yet frozen. 

Max’s face lit up as she looked around, which Chloe could tell was excitement over the pictures she was going to take. Her parents had given her a digital camera to use for the day, so she wouldn’t have to use a ton of film. Chloe watched as Max eagerly started leading the group. _God, she’s adorable when she’s like this._

They traveled through the garden as Max took pictures of almost everything. She would occasionally have her friends pose for pictures with the scenery. There were few people in the garden with them, unsurprising considering the cold. After a while, they reached a building that seemed to be the center of attention, as it was far more populated than the garden.

“Let’s stop in for some tea, shall we?” Kate suggested.

Chloe saw her opportunity. “Why don’t you and Max have some tea? Like you used to.”

They all looked at Chloe, confused. “Are you sure?” Max asked.

“Yeah. I wanna talk with Warren a bit.” Chloe thought she heard Warren audibly swallow. “Go on.”

The rest of the group looked at each other and Max shrugged. “Okay. Play nice.” She and Kate turned and went into the teahouse. 

Chloe started leisurely walking away and nodded for Warren to follow. He seemed nervous, but followed. After a minute of silence, Chloe started. “So we…it didn’t come up earlier, but how are things going?” Chloe asked. “After the storm?” She knew that Warren had been an Arcadia Bay local like her.

Warren was walking beside her now and looked down at his feet. “It’s…been tough.” He was quiet as he thought. “My family all made it out okay, but I mean…we lost almost everything. We’re living with some relatives right now and…”

Chloe could see him struggling with his words. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I just thought...we’re in the same boat. I grew up in Arcadia, too. So I get it.”

Warren looked up and gave her a half smile. “Thanks, Chloe. But I’m good. My family’s okay and that’s all I care about.”

Chloe nodded. “Good.” She was a little relieved. She wasn’t used to being so sincere with people she barely knew. “So, what should we talk about?”

“How are you and Max? Like, are things going well? It’s gotta be weird, living together already.”

“It kind of is, but mostly, it’s great. She’s my best friend, y’know? Do you know how awesome it is to date your best friend?”

“Can’t say that I do.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I really never had a chance, huh?”

Chloe shrugged. “What can I say? I’m one charming motherfucker.” They both laughed, stopping under a gazebo and sitting on the bench. “But you’re still important to Max. If you peace out just because she didn’t date you, I’ll beat your ass.”

Warren nodded and smiled. “I know you will. No, Max is fucking awesome. I’m happy she considers me her friend even after I came on so strongly.”

“Eh. You might have been obvious, but it never seemed like it bothered her.”

Warren sighed. “Good.”

“Alright, now that that’s all out of the way, let’s talk nerd shit.”

\

Chloe and Warren returned to the teahouse once they were too cold to stay outside. They found Max and Kate and sat down at the table with them.

“How was your talk?” Max asked.

“Good,” Chloe replied.

Max rolled her eyes and looked at Warren. “How was your talk?”

“No, it really was good!” Warren defended. “We talked about video games and science and stuff.”

“See?” Chloe said. “Speaking of which, are we about ready to head out?”

“Yeah, I just wanna get one more picture before we go,” Max said.

\

They finished up at the gardens and left for the next stop: the science museum. This had been their compromise, since Chloe and Warren had little interest in the botanical garden. They got into the museum and found a directory.

“Space stuff!” Chloe said. 

“Agreed,” Warren seconded. They studied the map and made their way through the building to find the space section. Chloe and Warren were like kids as they went exhibit to exhibit, fascinated by all the cool things on display. Max took pictures of anything interesting as they went and Kate followed along, sticking with Max as the other two geeked out over everything. Eventually they got tired and decided to stop at the small restaurant in the museum.

“I’m not all that hungry. I’ll eat when I get home,” Kate said as they found a table.

“Me too,” Chloe lied. Max looked at her skeptically. “What? I’ll eat later.” Max shrugged and left to get food with Warren. Chloe and Kate sat down across from each other. They sat in silence for a minute before Chloe said “Hey.” 

Kate seemed to jump a little. “Y-yes?”

“Sorry, I…” Chloe sighed and scratched her head. “You’re kinda scared of me, aren’t you?”

Kate drew back in surprise. “No, I…I mean you’re not…” Chloe leaned forward and folded her arms on the table. Kate paused before dropping her shoulders. “A little bit.”

Chloe nodded. “I mean, I get it. You and me are like total opposites. But…look, Max really values your friendship.”

“And I value hers! She-“ Kate stopped, considering whether or not to continue. “She saved me…”

Chloe felt her stomach tighten. “Yeah…and I think it’s really good that she has normal people like you and Warren as friends.”

“Normal…?”

“Not a fucking weirdo like me.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, I wanna be friends too. Or, at the very least, I’d like you to stop being scared of me. I’d like it if you and Max can hang out more. And if I happen to be there, I don’t want you to be freaked out.”

Kate smiled. “I’d like that, too.”

Chloe leaned back in her chair. “So, I will do my best to not be a total bitch when you’re around.”

“Only a partial one?” Kate said with a mischievous smirk.

Chloe raised her eyebrows. “Wow.”

Kate raised her hands to her mouth. “I’m sorry, was that too mean?”

“No, that was awesome!” Chloe laughed. “Giving me shit like that is a good start.”

“Good to know. Just don’t expect me to swear.”

“We’ll see how much I rub off on you,” Chloe teased.

“Actually...” Kate was looking down at her hands. Her face turned pink as she searched for her words. “That might not be so bad.”

“What?”

“Being more like you.”

Chloe looked at her skeptically. “How so?”

“My parents have always been very strict. They had to approve anything I read, watched, or listened to. But they’ve been more lenient ever since I came home. Warren recommended a show called Doctor Who and they actually let me watch it, even though it was science fiction.”

“What did you think?”

“It was...interesting. Not quite my taste. But I want to try other shows and watch R rated movies and play video games and-”

Chloe was getting excited with her. “Are you hitting your rebellious phase?” she said with a grin.

“No! No, I’m still a good Christian. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun.”

“I dunno, most ‘good Christians’ are pretty anti-fun.”

Kate opened her mouth to protest, but sighed instead. “You’re not wrong. But I’ll continue to follow God’s light and try my best to be a good and loving person.”

Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “So you want us to help you have fun?” Kate nodded enthusiastically. Chloe rubbed her hands together. _I get to corrupt her._ “How about we start with some music suggestions?”

Kate smiled. “Thank you, Chloe.”

Chloe told her some artist names that Kate wrote down and after a couple of minutes, Max and Warren came back and sat down with a big slice of pizza each. “Ooh, that looks good.” Chloe felt her stomach rumble. “I changed my mind, I’m going to get food.”

\

The group finished their trip to the museum and Warren drove back to the bus station. Outside of the car, they all said their goodbyes and Warren and Kate waved the girls off as they entered the building. Tired, they both sat down hard in the same seats they’d had that morning.

“That was a lot of fun,” Max said.

“Yeah. They’re good people.”

“And you didn’t say anything to scare them?”

Chloe put up her hands defensively. “I was being so nice! I wanted to get to know them better. They’re your friends, after all.”

Max smiled. “Good. I’m glad you like them.” Max leaned against Chloe, letting her head rest on her shoulder. 

“Are you okay now?” Chloe asked.

She felt Max nod against her shoulder. “It was a good day overall. I’m not gonna let one asshole ruin it.” Chloe smiled and quickly pecked the top of Max’s head. “I’m really happy with this picture, by the way.” 

She reached into her bag and pulled out a photo that she’d taken with her own camera. It was at the gardens and she’d had Kate take the picture. Max and Chloe were standing under an ornate archway surrounded by snow. They were holding hands, facing each other, their eyes closed as they kissed. Chloe was always impressed by Max’s eye for photography. She’d seen the area while having tea with Kate and set up the shot in her mind, so all Kate had to do was kneel where Max told her to and take the shot.

Chloe smiled as she admired the photo. “It’s perfect.”

Max tucked the photo back into her bag. “So, what was that earlier about the extra affection at home?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely didn't realize it'd been two whole months since the last chapter. My bad. This was actually a tough one to start, but it ended up being pretty long. 
> 
> I thought it'd be nice to check in with these two. I have some headcanons for where they end up in the future, though I'm not planning on bringing them back for this work. 
> 
> It shouldn't be too long before the next chapter is up because I've already started it. Though I will be super busy at work starting next weekend. Still, I'll try to knock it out before the year is over!


	12. New Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe go to a New Years party

“Welcome to Th- oh, hey Chloe!” the cashier greeted as she and Max walked into The Beat, the music store where Chloe was now a regular customer.

“Sup, Trish,” Chloe replied. “You haven’t met Max yet, have you?” Chloe had brought Max in once before, but it had been Jess and TJ working that day. “Max, this is Trish. Trish, my girlfriend Max.”

“Ah, so this is Max!” Trish was a short girl with short blonde hair . She had about a dozen piercings between her two ears and several tattoos on her arms. As tough as she looked, though, she was still the biggest sweetheart. “It’s so great to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too,” Max said with chattering teeth. She was still shivering from walking in the cold. 

“Chlo! Max! What’s up?” Jess walked over to greet them as well. “How you two been? How was your Christmas?”

“Check out what Max got me.” Chloe excitedly removed her jacket and showed off her sweater. The front was a standard holiday pattern, but Chloe was excited about the back. There was a large mistletoe at the bottom with the words KISS MY ASS in big blocky letters above it. “Isn’t it great?”

“Oh my God,” Jess said with a laugh. “That is too perfect! Where’d you find that?” she asked Max.

“There’s this store in the mall that sells this kind of stuff. Like adult oriented novelty gifts.”

“It’s incredible. Any other cool loot?”

“Not really,” Max answered. “We’re kind of desperate for the basics so it was mostly clothes. I got film, though.”

“Oh, yeah. Did you bring some photos to show me?” Jess had requested Max bring in some of her work after telling her that she was a photographer.

“I did!” Max started rummaging through her bag. 

“You get anything good? Chloe asked. “Or you, Trish?”

“Nah, I just ask for money,” Jess said.

“I got new earrings and cash for my next tattoo!” Trish replied excitedly.

“Hey, you two got any plans for New Years?” Jess asked.

“Uhh, do we?” Chloe directed to Max.

“Not really. Just hanging out with my parents.” Max finally found the box that she kept photos in and handed it to Jess.

“You should come to my place. We’re having a small party. Just the five of us that work here plus my two sisters.”

“No shit? That’d be awesome. Any booze?” Chloe asked quietly.

“My sisters are gonna buy us all beer and a couple bottles of champagne for midnight.”

“Uh, I dunno,” Max chimed in. “My parents might not let us go.”

“We just won’t tell them about that part,” Chloe said.

“You want me to lie to them?”

“It’s not lying if they don’t ask.”

“What if they do?”

“Then I’ll lie for us. Max, c’mon.” Chloe hadn’t been to a real party in months and was itching to go.

“Why don’t you just go? They can’t really stop you.”

“They can’t stop you, either. You’re an adult. Act like it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hey,” Jess interrupted. “If it’s a problem, just don’t drink. No one will force you to.”

“That’s not-” Max started, but shook her head. “Nevermind. Fine, we’ll go.”

Jess looked back and forth between them. “You sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

“It’s fine,” Chloe said. “I’ve done this plenty of times.”

“Illegal drinking?” Max asked snidely.

“Yes. Text me the address and when we should be there,” Chloe told Jess. 

\

Chloe and Max drove to Jess’ house on New Year’s Eve, parking on the street a couple houses down. They walked up to the house and knocked. They could hear music coming from inside, which got louder when the door was opened by a guy wearing a backwards cap and sports jersey.

“Chloeee!” he exclaimed. 

“Sup, TJ.” Chloe raised her arm to fistbump TJ. “How’s it hangin’ man?”

“Dude, I accidentally ordered five large pizzas.” He reeked of weed and was also holding a can of cheap beer. He looked over and saw Max for the first time. “Oh, shit, it’s Max! How you doin’, bro?” He lifted his fist in greeting to her as well.

Max half-heartedly reciprocated the gesture. “Hey, TJ.” She sounded less than thrilled.

“Well, c’mon in, lady dudes. The party awaits.”

“Why are you answering the door?” Chloe asked as they entered.

“Waiting on the pizza, dude. Everyone else is in the backyard.” He downed the rest of his beer and crushed the can. He raised it to throw it on the ground, but thought better and placed it on a table. “Head on back. I’ll join you once I’ve got the ‘za.”

Chloe and Max walked down the hall towards the back of the house. “Y’know, TJ’s actually a really good guy,” Chloe said.

“So you’ve said.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Max.”

“I’m not! Just...I’ve dealt with enough dude-bros.”

“He’s not- nevermind,” Chloe gave up. 

They reached the door that led to the backyard. They stepped outside to find a group of people sitting on logs and chatting around a fire. As they walked up, Jess spotted them. “Max! Chloe! You guys made it!”

“Fuck yeah we did,” Chloe replied. She spotted a cooler and went over to grab a beer.

“Are you guys okay to be drinking?” Jess asked.

“If I get too wasted, Max is my DD,” Chloe said as she cracked open the can.

“Good luck getting wasted off of this stuff,” Zack remarked from his place beside the fire.

Jess stood next to him and smacked him in the head. “Max, this is Zack. Unless he’s screaming ‘fire,’ ignore what he says.” She gestured to a girl with long, dark hair and glasses. “That’s Maggie.”

Maggie raised a hand in greeting. “Nice to finally meet you, Max.”

“You’ve met Trish. And these are my sisters, Lana and Lily.” 

The girls were twins aside from their differing hair. “Hey,” they both said.

“Nice to meet you all,” Max greeted.

“Here, come sit next to me!” Trish offered. Max did and Chloe followed to sit between Max and Maggie. “So, are you excited to get back into school?”

“How did you-”

“I mentioned it once,” Chloe said.

“Oh. Uh, yeah. I mean, it’ll be nice to finally be done.”

“Yeah, high school sucked,” Jess commented. “Are you planning to go to college?”

“Yeah, Chloe and I have a few in mind in California.”

At that moment, the door opened to reveal TJ with a stack of pizza boxes. “Pizzaaaaaaaaa!” he yelled.

“Hey, keep it down!” Jess scolded.

“Oh, sorry. Pizzaaaa,” he said quietly. TJ walked over to a folding table that had been set up outside and had bags of chips on it, placing the pizza boxes on it. “Come and get it!”

Everyone but Maggie stood to grab a piece. As she walked by, Max asked her “You’re not getting any?”

“I’m gluten intolerant,” Maggie replied.

“Oh, shit, bro. I totally forgot,” TJ said. “I’m sorry, dude.”

“TJ, every time we have a party, you order pizza and apologize to me about it. I don’t fucking care,” Maggie said with a laugh. “I’m not offended by your dough consumption.”

“Still, I could’ve ordered you wings or- fuck, you’re vegetarian.”

“Hey, TJ,” Chloe said with a mouthful of pizza. “Speaking of green stuff...”

“Oh, I gotchu, bro.” TJ walked over to the other side of the fire.

“Wait, what?” Max asked her.

“What?”

“Are you gonna smoke? Didn’t you quit smoking?”

“Cigarettes, yeah.”

“I thought you were just drinking a bit.”

“Dude, it’s a party. Of course I’m gonna smoke. You should join me.”

“No, I- Chloe, I don’t want to have to drive your truck later. It sucks.”

“Would you quit shitting on my truck? And while you’re at it, stop shitting on my good time here.”

“I’m not! I-” Max looked around at the people staring at them. She shook her head. “Do what you want.” She went to acquire a slice of pizza before returning to her seat by the fire.

Chloe angrily finished her slice and went for another. As she was standing at the table, Jess came over to stand beside her. “Hey,” she said in a low voice. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m not allowed to have fun is all.” Chloe deliberately kept her voice at a normal volume.

“Look, if you two are gonna fight and make this awkward-”

“No, it’s...” Chloe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “It’s fine. We won’t cause any problems.”

Jess stared at her for a couple seconds before nodding. “Alright. Just keep it civil.” She walked back to the log seats and sat down.

Chloe continued breathing deeply. _C’mon, Price. Max is just trying to be responsible. Don’t get mad at her for it._ She finished her pizza before going back to sit next to Max. Chloe nudged her gently. “Hey,” she said quietly. Max looked at her without saying anything. “I’m sorry I got mad.”

“It’s fine,” Max said.

“No, it’s not. You’re mad at me, which means I fucked up and I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad at you, just-” Max lowered her voice more, even though everyone else was absorbed in their own conversations. “I don’t want to fight in front of your friends. That was embarrassing.”

“I know. I won’t do it again.” Max just stared at her for a second. “Promise.”

Max sighed. “Okay. Thank you.”

TJ walked up to them and held out a joint. “You bros still interested?”

Chloe began to wave him off, but Max suddenly took it from his hand. Chloe looked at her, confused. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Like you said, it’s a party.” Max put the joint to her lips and inhaled, followed by her coughing out a puff of smoke.

Chloe looked her in the eyes. “You okay? You sure you’re not mad?”

Max nodded as she composed herself. “I’m fine.”

“Then why the sudden change of heart?”

Max shrugged. “Fuck it, right?”

Chloe leaned in close so only Max could hear. “Have you smoked before?”

“No.”

“Ooookay. This will be interesting.” 

\

Some time later, Max and Chloe were on Jess’ couch. Chloe was sitting with Max lying down, head in Chloe’s lap. Chloe stroked Max’s hair as she slept. Max jolted awake and her eyes snapped open. She looked up at Chloe and blinked. “Where am I?”

“We’re still at Jess’s,” Chloe said quietly.

“What happened? What did I...” Max trailed off, trying to remember.

“Well, you took a few hits from a joint and got high. You then ate most of a pizza by yourself while telling everyone about famous photographers. You started feeling sick so I brought you in here and you fell asleep.”

Max looked dazed as she took in her surroundings. She started to lift her head, but winced and laid back down. “My head hurts.”

Chloe continued stroking Max’s hair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you smoke so much.”

“No, no, it’s not your fault.” She reached up and put her hand on Chloe’s face. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’m good. I have a higher tolerance so it wore off a while ago.”

“How much have you had to drink?”

“Just that first beer. I stopped so I could look after you.”

Max groaned. “I’m sorry. I ruined your night.”

Chloe scoffed. “Nah. I had fun watching you have fun.”

“I had fun?”

“You seemed to be enjoying yourself.” Chloe leaned down and kissed Max’s forehead. “Next time we can get high together, just the two of us.”

“I’d like that,” she said with a smile. She seemed to realize something suddenly and looked concerned. “Fuck, what time is it?”

“Don’t worry, it’s a little after midnight. I was gonna wake you up soon.”

Max looked relieved, but pouted. “Aren’t you supposed to be the irresponsible one?”

“I am not irresponsible! I’m just...reckless.”

Max laughed and sat up with another groan. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Well, Trish is a lightweight and got too drunk, so TJ drove her home. The rest should still be in the backyard.”

“Wait, TJ drove? Wasn’t he drinking? And also high?”

“He is very much not a lightweight. He had one beer and gave his last joint to us. He was totally sober by the time Trish threw up.”

“Should we be worried that he’ll try to hook up with her while she’s drunk?”

“Uh, no. TJ is the guy that punches the guy that tries to hook up with drunk girls.”

“That’s good. Well, we should get back to the party.” Max started to stand, but Chloe tugged on her sleeve to get her to sit again.

“Hey, would you prefer to go home?”

“I’m okay, really,” Max assured her.

“I didn’t ask if you were okay. Do you want to go home?”

Max looked at her for a few seconds before sighing. “Kind of, yeah. Is that okay?”

“Of course. And I’m sorry I dragged you here in the first place.”

“No, I wanted to come.” Chloe gave her a skeptical look. “Really! I like Jess! She’s nice! And I want to like the others.”

“But?”

“No but. I’m trying.”

Chloe smiled. “I appreciate it. C’mon, let’s say bye and get you home. Oh, one thing, first.” She leaned over and kissed Max, lingering for a second before parting. “Happy New Year.”

Max giggled and kissed Chloe again. “Happy New Year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a good holiday season! My resolution for the year is to finish this fic, which shouldn't be a problem if I average a chapter per month. Thanks for sticking with me for this long.
> 
> I hope you all have a great year!

**Author's Note:**

> WHAT'S UP I'M ALIVE. It took me a while to get around to finishing this but I'm finally starting. If any of you are new, this is part of my series that also includes "Christmas With the Caulfields." This is going to be set in the months after the game and will deal with Max and Chloe recovering. Specifically, I'm going to be writing about Max dealing with PTSD. Suffice to say, it will not be fluff like my other fic. BUT the whole reason I started with the fluffy one was to show that they get to a good place eventually (BECAUSE THEY DESERVE TO BE HAPPY).
> 
> Anyway, I always really appreciate any sort of response!! Feedback is great and I will be having my roommate go through later chapters to make sure I depict Max's PTSD properly. I'm going to try to be better about responding to comments because I super appreciate them!! I'm also really active on my blog, which is sassamapod.tumblr.com. I post LiS stuff fairly often along with other stuff, but I also post a link whenever I put up a new chapter, so if you don't have an account on here, that's the best way to find out when I post. Thanks for reading!


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